the slow dance of infinite stars
by uninspired me
Summary: Like many young men, Noah Puckerman has spent his entire life looking up at the stars, waiting for his life to begin. But he never imagined that the stars were staring back, waiting to live. Loosely based on the movie "Stardust".
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Like many young men, Noah Puckerman has spent his entire life looking up at the stars, waiting for his life to begin. But he never imagined that the stars were staring back, waiting to live. Loosely based on the movie "Stardust". Written for the Glee Goes to the Movies Big Bang over on LJ.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee. I do not own the movie, nor the book, titled "Stardust".

**Spoilers: **Canon elements taken from up to Season 3, so 3x14 just to be safe.

**Warning: **Supernatural themes with character death and animal cruelty, language

**Beta: **Special thanks to dreamlesssleep (LJ) and joyasaurus-rex (LJ) for being awesome betas!

.-.

"She says nothing at all, but simply stares upward into the dark sky and watches, with sad eyes, the slow dance of the infinite stars." — Neil Gaiman (Stardust)

_.-._

_The crowd was roaring, the air pulsing around him. He could feel the heat from the bright stage lights bearing down on him, its intensity causing sweat to drip down his face. _

_And Puck loved every moment of it. _

_This was his calling; performing a sold-out rock concert to thousands of screaming fans, with him just killing it on his guitar. The excitement. The energy. The crowd chanting his name. Nothing else could even compare. _

_And the endless line of willing pussy didn't hurt either. He sent a lascivious wink towards a group of squealing fan girls jumping up and down in the front row, pursing his lips to blow them a kiss. He was just in the middle of ripping a monumentally epic solo, when a voice in his ear broke his concentration._

"_Truman... Truman... TRUMAN!" _

Noah Puckerman snapped out of his reverie, opening his eyes to meet the disapproving frown of the store manager at Sheet'N'Things, his hands held awkwardly in front of him. He swallowed nervously and quickly lowered his hands. This wasn't the first time his manager had caught him playing air guitar while he was supposed to be working.

"Er...Yes, Ms. Del Monico?" He asked sheepishly, smoothing out his shit-brown apron.

Beady eyes glared down her nose at him. "Truman, what are you doing back here?" Terri Del Monico, his manager, demanded. "The bell has been chiming non-stop and you're back here playing around."

"Sorry, Ms. Del Monico." Puck replied monotonously, yet again ignoring as she proceeded to call him by the wrong name. He'd had the same incorrect name tag for months now, ever since he'd started working here part-time after school as a way to pay off damages for a prank he pulled. They never bothered to make him a new one after the old guy who it used to belong to kicked the bucket. And after the first two months, Puck had simply stopped asking for a replacement. "I was just... um... restocking the fitted sheets," he lied.

Ms. Del Monico rolled her eyes at him. "Well, never mind that now." She said impatiently, ushering him along. "There's a man in aisle four who needs assistance."

Puck groaned inwardly as he shuffled towards aisle four. He always dreaded dealing with the customers, especially...

"Oh, apron boy!" A sing-songy voice called out to him. Puck closed his eyes and forced himself not to run and hide. He recognized that voice. He took a deep calming breath, opened his eyes and continued down the aisle.

"Hi, Mr. Ryerson." He answered with a forced smile. "What can I do for you today?"

Mr. Ryerson was one of Sheets'N'Things more… _difficult_ customers. He came in at least once a week for a new purchase or with some new complaint. And he _always_ seemed to come in when Puck was working. He usually liked to ask Puck to get something down from one of the higher shelves, all just so he could stare at his ass for a couple of minutes.

Puck absolutely hated it. He would love nothing more than to chuck the ugly brown apron in Mr. Ryerson's face and storm out of there. But in the loser town of Lima, Ohio, there just weren't many jobs available for high school students.

Though, technically, Puck wasn't a high school student anymore. He'd recently finished his senior year at William McKinley High School, his grades just barely scraping by in order to graduate. Now he was two days into summer, two days into working at Sheets'N'Things full-time, nd he was already bored out of his mind.

But what else could he do? While his friends were enjoying their last summer of freedom and preparing to go off to college, he just... wasn't. He hadn't been accepted anywhere; not that he had tried particularly hard, because even if he had, he couldn't afford to go. He was stuck in this loser town with no future and no prospects. He was destined to be just another dead-beat stuck in a dead-beat town.

He guessed working at Sheets'N'Things was better than being in jail. Or dead. Or both. He supposed he should be grateful that he was in neither. But still, Sheets'N'Things was only a slight notch higher. Very slight.

"Apron boy, I need you to get the selection of cherry blossom towels down for me." Mr. Ryerson broke into his thoughts, pointing to the top stack.

"Huh?" Puck asked, clearly confused. He had no fucking idea what Mr. Ryerson was talking about.

"Pink! You fool!" Mr. Ryerson screeched, waving his arms exasperatedly. "Honestly, didn't they teach you _anything_ in school?"

"Oh..." Puck replied, still dumbfounded. He looked up and searched the wall of pink high above his head. "Okay, Mr. Ryerson," he continued, hiding a scowl. He'd already been told off twice this month for disrespectful behavior towards customers. One more strike and he was out. "Just give me one moment."

Puck quickly retrieved a ladder and began climbing. He reached out for the first pink towels he came across, but before he could start heading back down again, Puck heard Mr. Ryerson's shrill voice from down below.

"No, no, no! Not that one! To your left! _No!_ Your _other_ left!"

Puck suppressed a sigh as Mr. Ryerson dictated his movements. _Is this really what his life has been reduced to?_

.-.

Puck took a deep breath as he stepped out of Sheets'N'Things, taking in the warm summer night. It had been just over a month since school had ended and he started working full-time; a slow, torturous month where the days seemed to plod on by like a sick elephant.

And as bad as that was, today had been an even longer day, much longer than usual. His shift had technically ended over three hours ago, but Ms. Del Monico had cornered him into completing some inventory for her. Apparently, her Old Maids Club had switched their semiweekly meeting to tonight. Whatever. He guessed he could use the overtime. Plus, it's not like he had anywhere else to be.

He pulled out a cigarette, lighting up before inhaling deeply, savoring the taste as it filled his lungs. As he released the smoke into the night air, his co-worker, Ken Tanaka, stepped out behind him, turning to lock the door.

"Thanks for your help tonight, Truman." Ken said tiredly, wiping his brow and turning to face Puck.

Puck shrugged. "No problem."

"Look," Ken began, sensing Puck's indifference and placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. "I know today was tough, and you might think that this isn't really the job for you. But just think, if you work hard and stick to it, in five years, you could be where I am now." Ken lifted his free hand and pointed to the shit-brown badge sitting on his chest. It looked so ugly as it blended in with his apron. "Junior Assistant to the Manager. Wouldn't that be something?" Ken smiled encouragingly.

Puck stared blankly at Ken for a moment, unable to tell if the older man was being serious. When Ken's smile didn't falter and it became apparent that he was, indeed, being serious, Puck's face contorted into an unconvincing smile.

"Yeah," Puck deadpanned, although he did _try_ to inject as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "That'd be really… something…"

Ken's smile widened, completely missing the sarcasm, as he patted Puck's shoulder. "Well, see you tomorrow, Truman." He said before walking to his car.

"Yeah, tomorrow…" Puck echoed with another false smile. He tried to quash the resounding voice in his head repeating: _And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that… _

Puck released a deep sigh and headed for his truck, kicking an empty soda can along his way. Once inside, Puck looked out through the windshield and stared dully at the empty parking lot. He didn't really have anywhere else to be. His mom was working the grave-yard shift at the hospital, which wasn't unusual. Actually, it normally meant he'd be at home babysitting his sister, but Gabby had left for some genius camp for the summer. Now it was just him.

Ever since she'd left, he'd felt strange. It had always been just the three of them ever since his dad split when Puck was nine. But even though they were as close as any regular family, they all lived very separate lives. Puck just never figured he'd be the one, you know, without a life.

Puck briefly considered calling some of his friends from the football team, but dismissed the idea easily. After the dismal day he'd just had, Puck didn't really feel like listening to his friends talk excitedly about their college plans or rave about summer. Compared to that, solitude would be a godsend.

There was probably a Cheerio or two he could hit up for a good roll in the sack, but as weird as it was (for him, at least), Puck was getting tired of the same desperate girls yearning for his approval. He also had the numbers of a few divorced cougars logged in his phone, women who didn't care about what he did or who he was going to be. It was just sex. _Hot_ sex. But right now, he couldn't think of anything more pathetic.

So instead, Puck kicked his truck into gear and left the empty parking lot, driving blindly past the rows of suburban Lima, past the frighteningly picturesque welcome sign, and leaving it all behind. He'd been doing this every night after work for the past few weeks, and every night he thought about what would happen if he just kept on driving, just saw where the road would take him.

However, each night, he only ever got as far as the old Callahan farm, about an hour out of Lima. It was lucky, he guessed, as he recalled the jarring image of its charred remains. Almost a decade ago, a freak accident had seen the house go up in flames, the family of five perishing inside, and it was the thought of his mom and sister that always stopped him from leaving.

It always caused him to stop and think about what leaving would mean to _his _family. To his mom. His mom would never forgive him for just leaving, never going home to say one last goodbye. Just like his dad. You could say what you want about Puck, that he might be a loser with no future, but he _wasn't_ his father. He would _never_ be his father. He just didn't roll that way. So instead, he would turn up the old gravel driveway of the Callahan farm, driving all the way up to the decrepit house and around the back.

Now it was a habit. He was just simply going through the motions.

Puck parked his truck and got out. He could see the well-worn path of his tire marks as he walked round the back and lowered the tailgate, easily hoisting himself up to sit on the bed. He looked out at the large overgrown field behind the house, its grass almost as tall as he was, before lighting a cigarette, the first of many.

Puck settled himself on his back, both of his hands tucked beneath his head and his legs dangling off the edge while he stared upwards toward the stars. Although he tried hard not to, he still found himself dwelling on all of the problems plaguing his mind. He thought about his dead-end job, with the annoying customers and those fugly brown aprons. He thought about his wasted youth and his directionless future. He thought about the inevitable disappointment in his mother's eyes in five years when he _would _be promoted to "Junior Assistant to the Manager" and no doubt wishing he could be anywhere but Lima-fucking-Ohio.

He sighed deeply, gradually letting out all the oxygen in his lungs. He wished he knew what to do. He _wished_ he had it all figured out, had a life that meant something more. His mind wandered back to the stolen moments where he imagined a life bigger than this, and in that black hole of self-pity, Puck found himself wishing for that fantasy to be true. He wished he was a rock star. Or a sports star. Hell, any star would do.

He just wanted to be one.

Puck sighed again and continued to stare up at the sky, knowing his wish would never come true. Wishes and dreams never came true. Not in a small town like Lima. And not for losers like him.

Not in this universe.

Or any universe.

It was impossible.

.-.

_The bright lights bore down on him, the cheers deafening, and yet Puck ran on; faster and faster, dodging left and right, sweat dripping down his face and back, and the pig-skin football tucked tightly under his left arm. Most ordinary people found the cumbersome football uniform awkward and heavy to wear, the helmet slightly obscuring their vision, but not Puck. He loved his uniform. Out of the uniform he was just an ordinary guy from Lima, Ohio walking the streets, but in his uniform… in his uniform he was a god; untouchable. _

_The end zone was in sight, getting closer and closer, and with each step, so was victory. This was what life was all about; all the blood, sweat and tears were so he could reach this point, to achieve victory. _

_But then all of a sudden the ground became uneven under his feet, the shaking reverberating throughout the stadium, and Puck stumbled as the ground fell away. In an instant, the world was quiet, the crowd gone, and all that was left was a loud rumbling, and the feeling of falling, air rushing past him, so fast and far as an unstoppable force as streaks of light rushed past him… _

Puck's eyes snapped open, his body tense and the memory of his dream still fresh in his mind. Blearily, he sat up stretching his arms above his head. He didn't know how long he'd been there, or when he'd fallen asleep, but judging by the cool summer breeze and the silent void of darkness, it was definitely in the early hours of the morning.

He stretched wearily, wondering what had awoken him from such a deep sleep. It wasn't unusual for Puck to wake up on the edge of the Callahan's old farm. He often dozed off and woke up as the sun was rising, rushing back to town to get ready for a new day at Sheets'N'Things, reaching there just as the clock struck nine.

But today was different.

The air hung strangely around him, almost crackling with electricity. Puck was certain something had awoken him, but looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Puck yawned widely and hopped down from his truck, heading to the driver's seat. He figured he might as well head home. There was no way he'd fall back asleep now.

It started just as he opened the door, a low rumbling noise that sounded so familiar. His eyes widened with shock as the ground shook, stray stones and pebbles vibrating against the dirt.

His head whipped around frantically, searching for the source of the tremor, but he saw nothing. In fact, other than the slight reverberation of the ground, the surrounding night seemed as peaceful as ever.

"What the fuck…?" He asked himself, his eyes slowly lifting to the sky. Puck blinked, wondering if he was still asleep, because never in a million years could he ever believe his eyes.

A large streak filled the sky, a ball of fire the size of a marble, growing larger and larger as it approached, seemingly heading straight for him. A loud whistling sound began, low at first but quickly becoming louder and louder until it echoed around him, deafening as he watched the sky, stunned.

Puck stood frozen, stock still, staring upwards as the fireball approached. Logic told him he was dreaming, locked in a nightmare, but something inside him argued otherwise. Either way he didn't care. His survival instincts were kicking in, and he _had_ to get out of there. He wasn't going to stick around to find out.

Immediately, Puck jumped into his truck and started the engine. The ground shook violently beneath him and one hand absently fumbled for his seat belt, while the other held the steering wheel tightly, trying to swing his truck around before gunning towards the dirt driveway. However, just as he rounded the old house, Puck foolishly glanced in his rearview mirror, the scene scaring the shit out of him.

"Fuck!" he shouted, almost hysterically, as he stepped harder on the gas pedal.

But it was already too late.

He watched in horror as the giant flaming ball hit the earth, smack dab in the middle of the Callahan's abandoned field; the resultant crash resounded around him, sure to be heard for miles. Dirt flew up from the point of impact, radiating outwards, and coming closer and closer to him as his truck tried to speed away.

And suddenly Puck was flying through the air, his truck flipping over as his panicked shouting joined the cacophony around him. It felt like days, months, years, before the car finally hit the ground. In fact, the car felt like it was moving in slow motion as the ensuing force bounced him around the tiny cab of his truck. Even as the jarring pain in his shoulder screamed out to him, he had never been more thankful to have taken those extra few seconds to use his seatbelt.

Puck sputtered as he hung upside down, the heavy tinge of dirt and dust settling around him. Dirt filled his mouth and nose, and he gasped, seeking clean air. He had no idea what the fuck was happening, but even as the bile rose at the back of his throat threatening to overcome him, he forced himself to remain as calm as possible.

Slowly, Puck disengaged himself from the seat of his truck, bracing himself as he removed his seatbelt and gravity pulled him downwards. His shoulder screamed out in pain as he tried to maneuver himself rightwards to climb out of the truck's cabin.

He took another deep breath as he stood hunched over beside his truck before attempting to spit out the taste of dirt in his mouth and yelling in frustration and shock.

_What the hell had just happened?_ He wondered as he coughed violently. He felt like he was on the verge of passing out as he stared at the ground, waiting for his blurred vision to return to normal.

He stumbled away from his overturned truck, before turning his head to stare back at the Callahan's abandoned field. Gone were the long stalks of grass, gently wafting in the wind. Instead, stood a large crater at least a mile wide. He stared out at the crater. There was dirt everywhere, but there in the center, where the giant fireball had landed, emanated a luminescent ball of white light, shining unnaturally bright.

As fucked up as it was, Puck found himself limping towards the light, his right arm clutching his left shoulder as he moved. As he advanced towards the crater, the light inexplicably began to fade, getting smaller and smaller until he stood over the center, staring down with a bewildered look on his face. For within the crater lay an unconscious girl, her flowing silver dress sparkling under the moonlight and her long brunette hair fanned out around her.

He was at a complete loss for words, staring down at the girl. When he finally managed to find his voice, all he managed to croak out was a shaky, "What the fuck?"

.-.

Meanwhile, on top of a faraway mountain in the highest tower of a forgotten castle, there sat a frail old woman, her spindly fingers grasping tightly at the armrests of her stately lounge chair. Her pale, almost opaque skin stretched tautly across her face, her cheeks hollow, while her short lifeless hair, or rather was left of it, clung to her scalp like thick clumps of pearly white cobwebs.

She wore a mean, terrorizing frown as she sat gazing out at the sky, her piercing blue eyes unblinking and unwavering. Though to the untrained eye, the sky seemed empty and endless, a sudden and unexpected wide toothless grin extended across the old woman's face. Then it started low, and soft, a menacing cackle that rose to a loud, evil laugh, which reverberated throughout the otherwise silent night. It was enough to make even the trees far below quake with fear.

She clapped her hands together loudly and stood, her movements surprisingly nimble despite her feeble appearance. She moved swiftly and purposefully, her dark robes billowing behind her as she walked to a staircase, spiraling downwards.

Down, down, down she went, stalking through the desolate castle, smiling with delight on her good fortune. She continued until she reached one of the castle's many dungeons. The dark and gloomy room had remained mostly empty over the long, long years save for three stone tombs standing resolute and untouched, each forming the corners of a triangle.

The woman clapped her hands again loudly, and magically, torches lining the walls sprang to life, their fires dancing merrily and shedding light on the otherwise dark room. She strode over to the closest tomb causing the thick layer of dust that had lain across the floor to swirl upwards behind her as she passed.

"Wake up!" she croaked loudly, banging her fist against the front of each tomb. "Wake up, I say!"

Slowly, as if an invisible force was acting upon them, the tomb covers shifted to the side, a whoosh of air gushing inwards, causing more dust to fly about. But the old woman didn't seem to care. She didn't even bother waiting for the cloud of dust to settle before she turned and stalked out of the dungeon once again.

This time as she moved, the torches lining the walls lit on their own accord, lighting her path without so much as raising a finger. The old woman then hurried upwards, exiting out into a large room filled with centuries of dust and unused junk. She began bustling about the room, collecting seemingly arbitrary items before approaching a wall of cages. Each cage housed a squirming animal and her beady eyes stared down at them with a maniacal pleasure.

Behind her, three young women stepped out from the dungeons, their footsteps muffled by the dust. They each wore matching long black dresses, their faces pinched and haughty, their long tresses pulled back severely into high pony tails. To the old woman, they each looked the same, their faces unimportant. All that mattered were the distinctive gold bands around their left wrists gleaming in the candlelight, binding them to her.

They strode over to the now hunched old woman and kneeled down, their heads bowed.

"What is it, my Queen?" A blonde girl asked, displaying her leadership over the other two; another blonde and the other with hair as black as night. Unlike the other blonde, the leader wore a mean, determined expression, her features hardened by time. Her pale green eyes seemed cold and calculating as she looked at her queen with obvious distaste.

The old woman didn't even bother to turn around and look at her disciples. They weren't important. She needed to act quickly; she didn't have time to waste, nor did she have the patience to deal with them.

The same ominous grin stretched across her withering face. "It has finally happened," she announced, her voice hoarse yet firm. Before she reached forward into one of the many cages, a brief flash of red light overcame her, a loud bang ringing through the large hall. Suddenly, her long billowing cloak had disappeared and instead she was clad in an average, run-of-the-mill track suit, bright red with large white bands running up her side.

_Much better_, she thought to herself, relishing the feel of the less cumbersome and more comfortable polyester material as she retrieved a whimpering muskrat, which struggled fruitlessly in her arms. The modern world had sure brought along some excellent changes.

_And_ s_he couldn't wait to crush it. _She smiled wickedly at the animal squealing in her arms, her hand covering its head. In one swift movement she snapped its neck, letting the pathetic creature hang limply from her pinched fingertips.

The three girls looked up at their master, stunned, and the blonde leader exchanged a meaningful look with the dark haired beauty as the third tilted her head in confusion.

"My Queen?" The leader questioned, eyes wide, clearly surprised.

"Yes, yes," the old woman cackled as she placed the dead animal flat on a nearby table and lifted a large crooked dagger high in the air. "A star has fallen," she proclaimed gleefully, before plunging the dagger straight into its still heart.

.-.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N****:** Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first part! :)

.-.

Puck stared down at the unconscious girl, still completely stunned. She looked to be around his age, probably seventeen or eighteen, but he just couldn't understand what she was doing here, lying in the middle of field where a giant meteor or something had just landed. None of this made any sense.

_Maybe she's an alien?_ He thought to himself before shrugging off the idea as insane. _Aliens weren't real… right? _

He didn't know much about aliens, but as he took in her appearance, he guessed that a hot chick clad in silver was probably the fantasy of every teenaged sci-fi nerd from here to China. And she was _hot_. Any guy would jizz their pants over the thought of getting it on with a hot alien chick, especially if she looked like _that._ Him included.

He took a moment to study her; her form fitting dress, the curve of her hips and the gentle rise of her breasts as she breathed shallowly. Her long flowing brunette hair shimmered in the moonlight. To be honest, he wasn't normally one to notice such things; he was very much a tits and ass man. Oh, and legs. Legs were _very _important. But on her… he noticed everything.

He noticed her long lashes brushing her cheeks. He noticed her full red lips. He even noticed the unique arc of her nose. It was weird, but he found himself concentrating on her nose. It wasn't anything he ever noticed in the past, but right now he seemed fixated on it. It was a _hot_ nose. He didn't even know that was possible.

Puck shook his head sternly. Surely there had to be a better explanation for this than _aliens_.

He had hit his head pretty hard. Maybe she was just a hallucination, his mind playing fucked up tricks on him after such a traumatic accident. Or maybe he was dead and this was his version of heaven. As messed up as that would be, he could definitely be down spending his afterlife with a smoking hot babe like this one.

Slowly, Puck reached out his hand towards her, moving to touch her angel-like face, but just as his fingertips grazed her cheek, her head moved slightly and her eyes fluttered open.

Immediately, his hand shot back to his side, but his gaze never wavered from her face. She smiled up at him dazedly before the realization of her strange surroundings seemed to jolt her back to life.

She sat up suddenly, glancing all around her before meeting Puck's gaze once more. Her expression became confused as she took in the giant crater. "Is this New York?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Huh?" Puck asked, dumbstruck. "What?"

"Is this the city of New York?" She asked again eagerly. "Home of Broadway? The greatest city on Earth?" She continued glancing around her as Puck stood there, too stunned to form a proper sentence. But she didn't seem to be expecting an actual answer. "Funny. I always expected it to be more… _more_."

She stood up, wiping the dirt away from her dress. It fell away easily, as if the material repelled anything that would mar its perfect shine. Now that he looked at it properly, it almost seemed to make her glow. "I must say, this is rather disappointing. After all, the grandeur of New York City has been talked about for decades, and this is what I'm greeted with? Very disappointing, indeed."

"What?" Puck asked again, his voice hoarse. He was so fucking confused right now. The hot possible-alien chick was talking, but none of her words made sense. Well, at least not to him.

"Well, I always expected New York City to be, well, a city. Not an empty field. It seems to reason that a city should _look_ like a city. I should complain about misrepresentation. It's strange. I always thought I saw large buildings when I looked down here, but the view from above can be quite obscure. Now I suppose–"

"This… this isn't New York." Puck finally stammered out, cutting off her long winded speech. He was still reeling from shock, and possibly a concussion. He blinked and shook his head again, still wondering if she was just a figment of his imagination.

The girl's head snapped towards him, her hair flying as she turned to look at him again. "What?" She cried.

"This _is _a field," he explained. "In Ohio. Lima, Ohio."

The girl frowned. "Lima, Ohio?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, it's about a ten hour drive to New York City."

"No, no, no!" The girl stamped her foot in annoyance. "How could this have possibly happened?" She began ranting to herself, pacing frantically. She seemed to completely forget Puck was there. "This is all wrong! This was supposed to be New York! Now how am I supposed to get there? This is simply unacceptable. If I'm not in New York, then I need to get there _immediately_. No matter what it takes. But... but I don't know the way." Then suddenly, she whirled around and looked at him, realizing his presence again. She took a large step closer and looked up at him imploringly. "You could take me!" she said excitedly.

"W-what?" Puck sputtered, still beyond confused. Everything felt so surreal. Like a dream, or a nightmare, he wasn't quite sure which yet. Maybe it was all just a really convincing hallucination.

"You could take me!" Rachel clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "I just need you to take me to New York! This is perfect; fated, in fact. If I was ever going to fall anywhere other than New York, then it makes sense that I would need a guide!"

Puck blinked at the beaming girl as she stared up at him expectantly. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He yelled in frustration.

She looked taken aback at his outburst. "I-I..."

"You – or whatever '_you' are_ – completely trashed my truck!" Puck burst out, flailing wildly as he gestured towards his overturned truck. "What the fuck makes you think I'd want to take you anywhere? Even if it wasn't lying upside down with broken windows and a crumpled hood, I wouldn't take you anywhere. Fuck, I don't even know who – _or what – _you are!"

Puck stared at the now timid girl as she stared back at him, bewildered; his breathing was harsh and rapid as he tried, and _tried_, to process what was happening. He half-expected the girl to run away crying, but instead, a bright smile slowly formed on her face.

"Oh right, how silly of me." She gushed before offering out her hand towards him. "My name is Rachel." This _girl_ seemed completely unfazed by his earlier outburst. "And as for what I am, I would have thought that was obvious? I mean, there aren't that many possibilities, so any rational person should be able to guess."

He stared at her incredulously. _Rational?_ They were standing the middle of what _used to _be a field, after being hit by a fucking _ball of fire,_ and she was spouting on about being _rational_? She stared up at him expectantly, and Puck found himself spluttering out the first thing that came to mind.

"An alien?" he guessed wildly.

She giggled softly and shook her head. "No, silly," she said. "Aliens aren't real." She said it like it was the most absurd thing he could have ever said. She continued to look up at him expectantly, but didn't elaborate.

As he looked back at her, his mind racing a mile a minute trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, the girl seemed to begin glowing again. However, as soon as he blinked, the effect was gone, and he brushed it off as a result of the extreme trauma he was currently experiencing. "So, if you're not an alien, then what the fuck are you?"

She giggled again before coyly saying, "I'm a star."

She gazed up at him like those three little words were supposed to mean something, but in reality, they meant jack shit. In fact, they didn't make any sense at all.

"A what?" he asked again, shaking his head in disbelief. Whoever this chick was, she was obviously just messing with his head, trying to confuse him. He just knew it.

"Well," Rachel turned to look up at the sky and pointed to where the giant fireball had originated. "I came from up there, and now I'm here. The logistics of my journey are actually quite hard to explain, and someday I'd be happy to sit down and explain it to you, but at the moment, it isn't pertinent to the task at hand, which is to get me to New York."

"But, but..." Puck stammered out disbelievingly, completely mystified by this... _creature_ before him. It was the best – the only – way to describe her. Despite her good looks and tendency to ramble, he couldn't seem to make heads or tails of what she was going on about. She was just some... confusing creature.

He groaned as a particular violent throb wracked his head. "But that's impossible. There's no way in hell you could be an _actual_ star. I don't believe you. In fact, I've had enough of your bullshit." He turned and stalked back to his truck. "I'm outta here."

"Wait! Please wait!" Rachel pleaded and ran after him, but he refused to turn around. "You don't understand, but I need you to! Please stop! If you stop, I can show you!" It wasn't until she hooked her hand in his arm and tugged that Puck stopped. Not that she was strong enough to do so, but there was something in her voice, and touch, that made him _want _to stop. She gazed up at him, her breathing labored.

He tried not to think about her heaving chest in that slim silver dress as it clung to the curves of her body. But let's face it: he was a guy with eyes. And a mind-splitting headache. His concentration skills weren't too good right now. He blinked and tried to clear his head again. _Come on, Puckermen!_ He silently reprimanded himself. _This is not the time!_

"I know it's incomprehensible but, here, I'll show you," she offered. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes.

It happened so quickly, Puck thought it was all in his head, but as she stood there, a brilliant white light began emanating from within her, spreading outwards until her skin shone lustrously, lighting up their surroundings. It was just like the faint light he had _thought _he'd seen just moments ago. It surrounded her, encased her entirely with a light so bright it almost blinded him.

As the light started to fade away again, Puck stood completely astonished, staring once again.

"You- you're a-a..."

Rachel smiled widely. "I'm a star." Puck took a step back in disbelief, ready to scramble away as fast and as far as possible. "Please, don't be afraid." Her voice was soft and comforting. "I won't hurt you. I just want to get to New York."

Puck frowned and shook his head in confusion. "Why?" he asked. His head was still pounding from the accident. And this _star_ wasn't helping things.

Rachel sighed dramatically and turned away. "I was afraid you'd ask me that." She took a moment to compose herself, which also allowed Puck the opportunity to not _freak the fuck out._ "Have you ever had a dream?" she continued somberly. Puck muttered a muffled "yes," before she continued on, ignoring his reply. "Well, stars also have dreams, and my dream is so big, that not even the sky can contain me!"

Puck looked on, almost concerned, before she turned back to him dramatically. "I want to perform on Broadway. I want the world to see my talent and love me for it. I want to sing. I want to be a star. And not just any star, but a _Broadway _star, where everyone will know my name, and everyone will love me."

Puck blinked again, still completely confused. His instinct was to assume this chick was completely and certifiably nuts. He was just about to say as much, but instead he found himself blurting out, almost incoherently. "But-but can't you just do that where you're from?"

Rachel shook her head, her eyes tinted with an unknown sadness. "No. I can't," she turned her face away, looking at the ground before whispering softly. "It's different for stars. Life's... different..."

"Oh..." Puck had no idea how to deal with the sudden downturn in her mood, but he really didn't need to worry because it didn't last for long.

"That's why I need to do this." She said enthusiastically, looking up at him, her eyes shining with hope. "I want – no, I _need_ to be on Broadway. And to do that, I need to get to New York. The city that never sleeps; the Big Apple; New York City!" She took a step closer to him, causing Puck to inhale sharply at her close proximity. The chick might be insane but she was _also_ insanely hot, and he just too tired to pretend otherwise.

So sue him if he kind of liked them a little crazy. He found her intensity oddly arousing, like what if she just channeled that intensity into the bedroom...

"That's why I need your help." She continued softly, breaking his drifting train of thought, which was probably a good thing. "I _need _you to help me get to New York. Please help me make my dreams come true, and I'll return the favor in kind."

"Huh?" Until that point, he guessed he kind of understood where she was coming from, but now she had once again completely lost him. "What do you mean?" His immediate thought was: _sex?_ But he sincerely doubted that's what she was getting at.

"Well," she said, somewhat shyly. "If you help me make my dreams come true, I'll grant you your wish."

"My wish? What wish?"

"Your wish. The one you made."

Puck thought back to his earlier musings. It felt like it had been hours since he was lying in the back of his truck, simply just staring up at the sky. "How can you do that?" He asked skeptically.

She looked at him coyly. "Well, I _am _a star, aren't I? And you know what they say about falling stars, don't you?"

Puck scoffed loudly. "That's complete bullshit. Some old wives' tale that some bum who couldn't get off his ass made up to make people think there was some divine being in the universe listening to their problems. Life doesn't come that easy. I may be stupid but I know that much."

Rachel continued smiling at him, her eyes twinkling. "You're both right and wrong. All old tales have a basis in truth, whether it be something small or something big; it just so happens that this tale is right about wishing upon falling stars." She laughed. "But you're also right, wishes _don't _come easy. What people have forgotten over the millennia is that you have to _find_ your fallen star to make your wish come true. The human species can be so lazy sometimes. That's why the majority of wishes don't come true, because they can't be bothered searching anymore. They simply blame the universe for nothing _extraordinary_ happening in their lives, but the truly spectacular, they go out and seek the extraordinary. They don't sit around waiting for something to happen. Don't you want to be extraordinary, young man?"

Puck nodded slowly, trying to understand, but he stopped suddenly. She was going a mile a minute, and his mind was struggling to keep up. "But I didn't wish upon any fallen stars."

"Yes," Rachel nodded. "But you made a wish, and I can hear it now. Your dream is imprinted on your soul. So in this case, you help me with mine, and I will grant yours."

"But-but..." Puck still couldn't believe this was happening. No matter what he'd seen, this world had made him cynical about such things. _There was no such thing as magic._ "I'm sorry, I just can't believe it." He turned and began stalking back towards his truck.

Not that it stopped her from chasing after him, babbling so fast it was hard for him to hear what she was saying.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Puck suddenly burst out, swinging around to face her once again, interrupting her long diatribe about _'the kindness of others'_ and _'strangers helping each other out_.' "I mean, I'm sorry," he continued. "But this sounds like complete and utter bullshit!"

Rachel rolled her eyes in frustration and replied, rather sharply, "Fine! If you don't believe me, I'll show you!" She strode over to pick up a fallen flower, its bud completed closed over. She held it in the palm of her hand and made a fist. "Now watch..."

Puck stared expectantly as she opened her palm again and he saw the flower had opened, too; it had bloomed with pretty pink petals.

He looked on disbelievingly, still not completely convinced. He arched his eyebrow and asked, "Is that it?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes yet again. "Okay, fine. You want something more. Here." She closed her palm once again, and this time when she opened it, a pink butterfly stood where the flower had once been. Puck watched amazed as the butterfly flapped its wings lazily before suddenly taking off. He continued to watch it, following it with his eyes as the butterfly slowly fluttered out of sight. "So... now do you believe me?"

Puck gulped and nodded, eyes wide in wonder. "Uh-huh."

She clapped gleefully, jumping up and down. "So you'll take me?" She squealed in delight when Puck simply nodded his head, his eyes still trained where the butterfly had disappeared into the night. He turned to study this _"_star" as he thought about what this could mean. If she granted him one wish, any wish, it could completely change his life. It was so easy. In one fell swoop he could fix all the mistakes and fuck ups he'd made over the years.

And all he had to do was a take this girl to New York.

As unbelievable as all this was, he believed her; her eager smile, her twinkling eyes.

Puck coughed softly, forcing himself to look away before he numbly began walking. He stopped momentarily to fish some of his stuff out of his truck before continuing on his way, forming his plan to get her to New York. He chanced a glance at her, studying her features. Even as he walked, he could see the next few days unfolding. Like he said, she was _hot_. And with each passing moment, he found her more attractive, more intriguing.

Now that he'd had the chance to look at her properly, without the added stress of his mind fighting the possibility of it all and the burning question of _what the fuck was actually going on?,_ he could fully appreciate the way she looked in that flowing silver dress which glided with her as she walked. She had large brown eyes that twinkled as she took in her surroundings, relishing each moment she spent here on Earth.

Even as he watched her, he could totally picture them making out. With all that pent up intensity? That scene would be mind-blowing. But as he let the fantasy play out in his head, he had to promise himself that that was as far as it would go.

This was his chance. Puck wanted nothing more than to finally get out of this dumbass town, and for someone with no plans and no prospects, this Rachel chick was just the ticket he needed to get out of here. She was literally offering him the stars and all he had to do was take her to New York. It was so easy. He couldn't fuck this up.

He wouldn't – couldn't – get involved with her, and he couldn't get too close. With his track record, they'd probably crash and burn after a week, and he didn't want to ruin his chances of finally getting everything he ever wanted.

And besides, who even knew the logistics of that pairing? She was probably too good for him anyway. At the very least, she was way too… cheerful.

"Wait, where are you going?" She asked as he started down the old dirt driveway.

"Lima," he replied gruffly as he continued walking.

Rachel's brow furrowed. "We have to walk?"

"Well," Puck said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Your arrival kind of totaled my truck, so yeah, we walk. Unless you have some magical way to fix it," he asked with a hint of hope in his voice. He really didn't want to walk the entire way back to town. At this time of night, it was unlikely that they'd pass any other cars, so the possibility of hitch-hiking was slim to nil, but Rachel shook her head helplessly. "So yeah, we walk."

Rachel took a moment before she nodded determinedly. "Okay. So be it! We'll walk! Anything to get to New York!" she said enthusiastically.

She ran up to Puck and looped her arm in his, not that he'd offered it or anything, and walked beside him, all the while chattering excitedly.

Puck almost smiled at her energetic personality. _Almost._ He _almost_ found her amusing, like nothing could deter her from her goal. He_ almost_, sort of, admired her for it. But as she continued chatting merrily, he was sure that come morning, he'd have a _very _different opinion of this particular fallen star.

"Oh yeah!" she burst out suddenly, "I told you my name, but you haven't told me yours!"

Puck turned his head to see her looking up at him expectantly, an excited smile stretched across her face. It was hard not to smile back at her.

"Noah," he replied without thinking. "You can call me Noah."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! :)

.-.

Quinn Fabray bowed obediently while flanked by the other two captives, Brittany and Santana, each of them enslaved to the witch before them. She waited patiently as her Queen stood over the entrails of the slain muskrat, mumbling to herself in between loud cackles.

She noticed Santana shoot her an almost bored look, rolling her eyes, and Quinn fixed her with an angry glare. Now was not the time for the Latina's defiant behavior. They hadn't been allowed out of those tombs in centuries and Quinn would be damned if she got stuck inside one again.

Not that it mattered. She was _already _damned. They all were.

It was a while before the Queen finally addressed them, but they remained kneeling regardless. They had no choice.

"She's in Ohio. Just outside some small town called Lima." The witch turned to face them and her beady eyes scrutinized their bowed forms. "She's the only star to fall to Earth in almost five hundred years, and we all know how that turned out last time." She stared pointedly at Quinn, and the blonde swallowed thickly under the Queen's glare. She didn't appreciate the cruel reminder of her past mistakes, but she knew the queen didn't care; she possibly even reveled in the knowledge that she had made Quinn remember.

"I want her." The queen declared, her shrewd eyes shifting to each of them in turn. "Bring my star to me, and I will consider your debt repaid."

Quinn's eyes widened and her head turned, switching quickly between Brittany and Santana, watching their similarly stunned reactions. Suddenly, Santana's indifference was gone, replaced by a keen awareness and a desire they all shared to get the job done.

Quinn briefly glanced down at the gold band wrapped around her wrist before bowing her head once again. There was no question as to the importance of this development for them. If they succeeded, then she'd finally be rid of the infernal thing.

"As you wish, my Queen," she answered for the three of them, her head bowed once more. "As you wish."

The trio rose simultaneously, turning towards each other, before running ran out the door faster than a speeding bullet; so fast, in fact, they appeared as one shadowy blur moving through the dark, black night.

.-.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of a black forest, unburdened by the bustling of modern day life, stood a small, lonely cottage where a seemingly young man tended to his garden.

As a warlock, Blaine Anderson loved his garden. It was the source of most of his spells and teachings. It was also the source of his seemingly unfailing youth, because while he had the visage of a man of twenty, in reality he was well over the age of eighty, his daily meditation, herbal remedies and natural abilities keeping him young.

So more often than not, Blaine could be found tending to his garden. Even in the dead of night. And that night was no different. He liked the peace and quiet of the darkness, with nothing more than the melodic chirp of his pet canary, Pavarotti, to disturb his solitude.

However, as he plucked wolf's bane from its stalk, a sudden and strong breeze rustled through the trees, whispering silently to him and carrying a word of warning.

Blaine looked up as he took in the message, and stared into the trees. Slowly emerging from the black shadows came a silver white unicorn, its gleaming mane blowing about with the wind.

Blaine smiled and stood up as the unicorn approached him. "Hello, old friend." He said kindly, reaching out his hand to pat its soft coat. It nuzzled at his outstretched hand affectionately and Blaine's smile grew. "It's good to see you too, Kurt," he whispered to the unicorn. "Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

Kurt whinnied softly, shaking his mane fiercely, and Blaine's body visibly stiffened at the news his old friend had brought him. "What? Are you sure?" he asked, disbelievingly. When Kurt's head nodded, his sparkling white horn bobbing up and down, Blaine nodded gravely. "Then we haven't a moment to waste."

Without hesitation, he reached up and swung himself onto the back of the unicorn. "Ride like the wind, old friend! Ride! "

.-.

By the time Puck and Rachel reached the stupid welcome sign on the border of Lima, his eyes felt like they were about to fall out his head, his muscles ached, and all he wanted to do was go home and collapse in his bed. They had walked for hours without a single car passing them on the way, and while Puck had expected as much, he really hadn't been prepared for what that actually meant. He felt exhausted, his legs completely ready to give way.

Rachel on the other hand, hadn't shut up the entire hike back into town. She gasped giddily at even the slightest thing. She even made them stop for fifteen minutes while she had a conversation with a sleeping cow.

And she didn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. Even now, she skipped in front of him to Lima's hideous welcome sign, examining it closely.

"This is marvelous!" she gushed enthusiastically.

"It's a sign," Puck deadpanned, barely holding on to his last shred of sanity. The only good thing about them finally reaching Lima was the welcoming neon sign of Flo's Diner blinking brightly as the sun rose behind him. In his opinion, that sign was ten times more welcoming than the town's actual "welcome" sign.

"Come on," he said gruffly as he pulled Rachel towards the small shop.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked, her arms still pointed towards the sign. "I wanted to look some more."

"Yeah, well, I need food." Puck grumbled just as his stomach did. He hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day, a fact that he had been blaringly reminded of about twenty minutes after they had begun their trek back into town.

"Food?" Rachel asked, confused. "Um, Noah. I don't think stars eat."

Puck shrugged his shoulders as he pulled Flo's door open. "Well, humans do. And this human is about to collapse from starvation, so we're gonna eat."

Rachel sighed and nodded, her head tilting to the side slightly. "Okay. I guess we can rest for a short while, but not too long because there's no telling..."

Puck grunted his approval and slumped down heavily in the nearest booth while Rachel babbled away about... something. He was honestly too tired to filter through her excited chatter. Instead he just watched her lips moving as she took her time to round the other side of the table, delicately taking a seat.

He blinked slowly at her as she looked at him expectantly. It wasn't until her mouth formed a very enticing pout that he realized that she had actually asked him a question.

"Huh?" he asked distracted.

Rachel frowned as she daintily pulled out one of Flo's greasy menus and Puck began twisting his head around in search for a waitress. "I asked, what do you recommend?" Rachel asked, studying the menu scrupulously.

"I dunno," Puck shrugged. He forced himself to ignore her tongue peeking out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated on the menu in front her. He seriously didn't need _those_ visions running through his head right now. His brain to mouth filter was quickly becoming non-existent in his fatigue. "Er, what do you like?"

Rachel frowned. "Well, I don't know. I've never had to actually _eat_ before. It's always been a fascination of mine. Humans have a multitude of different and exhilarating foods that all have unique tastes and flavors..." she rambled on. "So what do you think? What would you like to eat?"

Puck blinked at her sluggishly as he automatically thought, _You._

"What?" She titled her head to the side in confusion and Puck groaned inwardly when he realized he had spoken out loud. "Noah, I don't think it's possible to eat stars. Although, I don't believe anyone has ever tried before. Besides, I know you're hungry, Noah, but I hardly believe that's a reason to resort to what would essentially be cannibalism. Please, I beg you not to try."

He found himself smiling at her lazily. She really had no clue what he had said. Even as his brain struggled to keep up with her, he found it amusing. He was kind of thankful that she hadn't understood. She would have no doubt delivered a long diatribe about proper behavior which he was so not in the mood for right now.

He opened his mouth to reassure her that he _wouldn't_ try to eat her (_unless she asked, _he thought smirking to himself), but at that moment, Flo walked up to the table and pulled out her order pad.

"Whaddaya 'ave?" The bored middle-aged woman asked, the words coming out in a well-rehearsed jumbled slur.

"The big breakfast with everything, hold the bacon. Plus, a side of waffles." He answered instantly, his stomach grumbling loudly.

Flo nodded as she jotted down the order before turning to Rachel, but she was still perusing the menu. Puck coughed loudly and nudged her leg gently with his own.

Rachel looked up at Flo's impatient glare. She sat up a little in her seat and asked, "As the owner of this establishment, what do you recommend for a first time patron?"

Puck's eyes narrowed. _Seriously? _He pulled the menu out of Rachel's grasp and grunted towards Flo, "She'll have the strawberry shortstack."

As Flo walked away, Rachel's shocked gaze turned to him and narrowed sharply. "You're quite rude, you know?"

"Yeah, well..." Puck shrugged again. "I'm tired and hungry."

"That's still no excuse." Rachel admonished. "I chose to ignore your constant swearing back at the field, and your inane grunts during our journey here. As my companion, you could at least try to be a gentleman."

"Hey, you didn't hire me to be a gentleman. You hired me to take you to New York, and I am."

"Well, couldn't you try to smile at least once? I'm sure you'd actually look handsome if you smiled."

Puck sputtered angrily. "And what the fuck does that mean?"

"Well, just look at you."

Puck's eyes narrowed as he picked up his spoon and examined his distorted figure in its back. His eyes opened comically wide as he studied his appearance. This was the first time he'd seen himself since before the accident. His entire face was smudged with dirt, and he had a big gash lining his forehead. It also didn't help that he was _still_ wearing his brown Sheets'N'Things apron, only now it was smeared with mud. His face almost blended in with the apron. Definitely not his most appealing look. He reached up tentatively to touch the large gash on his forehead and winced as it stung beneath his fingertips.

"Well, whose fault is that?" Puck bit out defensively, before jumping up and heading straight for the bathroom.

He studied his face in the mirror, wincing as his finger traced the outline of the cut on his forehead. Leaning down over the sink, he splashed cool water on his face and tried to wash away some of the dirt. He tore off his soiled apron and lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face. Again, he found himself wincing in pain, but this time from a sharp pain on his chest. He pulled at the collar as far down as possible to see a large bruise forming, slanting diagonally from his shoulder, a perfect imprint of the seatbelt cutting into his skin from when his truck had tumbled and crashed to the ground.

"Perfect. Just perfect." Puck groaned, releasing the collar once more, and continued cleaning up.

When he'd finally managed to wash away the majority of the dirt, and look semi-okay, Puck walked out to find a large plate filled with eggs, sausage and toast waiting for him. Plus, his waffles. He groaned as he sat down again, barely sparing a glance at "the star" sitting across from him before digging into his food.

After shoveling a few spoonfuls into his mouth, Puck looked up to see Rachel just staring at her own plate.

"What's wrong?" his questioned muffled and his mouth full of food.

"I-um-I..." She started, her eyes shifting nervously.

Puck arched his eyebrow. "What?"

"I don't know what to do," she said timidly, her face reddening suddenly.

Puck laughed and swallowed his food. "Seriously?"

Rachel shot him an annoyed glare. "I told you..."

"... you've never eaten food before." Puck waved off. "Okay." He reached over and picked up her knife before handing it to her. "This is a knife," he explained. "And you hold it like this to cut into your food." He then moved on to her fork and showed her how to use it. "Now, you try."

Rachel looked unconvinced as she held her cutlery. She slowly cut into her pancakes, following Puck's instructions carefully.

Puck watched in amusement as she gradually brought her fork to her lips. Her eyes widened as she chewed her food and let out an almost sinful groan, causing Puck to almost groan in response. "It tastes so good!" she said excitedly, quickly eating more, a huge smile on her face.

He smirked as he watched her continue to eat, his own food momentarily forgotten.

She let out a loud squeal as she tried one of the strawberries. "What is this?" she exclaimed joyfully, attracting some strange glances from the few other early morning diners.

Puck laughed. "It's called a strawberry shortstack. The red things are strawberries, and the round pancakes make up the shortstack."

"It's positively delicious," she gushed.

Puck smiled again. "Yeah well, it's even better drenched in syrup," he said picking up the small jug beside her plate and pouring some on. He watched as she tentatively took another bite. He suppressed another burst of laughter (and another feeling she inspired down south) when her eyes practically rolled to the back of her head.

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, savoring the taste. "Strawberry shortstack," she mumbled softly to herself, as if committing each bite to memory.

His stomach protested loudly as he watched her eat, mesmerized, reminding him of his own large plate in front of him. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her as she picked up a strawberry by its stem and brought it to her lips, letting out a soft hum as she savored the taste.

Again, Puck had to force himself to look away, picking up his fork again before returning to his food and trying to desperately ignore how hot she looked while eating and the slight tightening in his pants.

.-.

"This is your home?" Rachel asked in awe as she followed Noah up a small garden path leading to a darling two-story house. It had pink and purple gardenias lining the white brick walls. She paused momentarily, leaning over to take a closer look, inhaling their sweet aroma. "And did you plant these?"

"It's nothing much," Noah mumbled nonchalantly and shrugged while opening the front door. "My ma has a thing for flowers."

"They're lovely," she said softly, smiling to herself before following Noah inside.

Meeting Noah Puckerman had never been a part of her plan. If you had asked her initially, Rachel would have said that he would be the least likely guide she could have ever imagined for herself. On the outside, he seemed so brutish and distant. He talked harshly and swore more than needed, and that's when he decided to talk at all. And he tended to frown a lot, but in the few hours since she'd met him (or rather since she almost landed on top of him), she could tell there was more to him than meets the eye.

Don't get her wrong; what met the eye was insanely good, too. Physically speaking, that is, with his charming smirk and soulful hazel eyes, which seemed to almost dance with laughter (most likely at her, but still), when he thought she wasn't looking.

But Rachel could also tell there something more to him than his handsome brooding face.

For one, he was helping her, even when he didn't really need to. Granted, he had required a little incentive, but she was sure he was smart enough to realize that _she_ _was a star_. If he had wanted to "take" the wish from her, he could have. He could have demanded that she fix his truck and just left her there. But instead, he _chose_ to help her. There were so many different people in the world who wouldn't have, and while his initial brutish behavior was off-putting, when it came right down to it, he was a decent guy.

She wondered briefly if that would change if he knew the truth about her. The _real_ truth. But she shook her head. She had long believed in the goodness of humanity. She wasn't about to start thinking any differently.

She could tell deep down that Noah was a man to be trusted.

He had waited patiently for her when she came across exciting new things, explaining calmly while she gushed enthusiastically. He'd pretend to huff and grumble, but still, he never told her no, which meant something. At least to her it did.

And now he was inviting her into his home.

Rachel continued following Puck into what she assumed was the family living room. She smiled when she noticed the walls lined with photo frames. Taking a step forward, she examined the photos more closely, taking in the smiling family.

Rachel knew it was only him, his mother and sister; she had somehow managed to wrangle the information from him during their walk into town. He hadn't said much but from what she could gather, the three of them were happy. Not "sunshine and rainbows happy," as Puck had adamantly stated, but "normal happy".

She smiled again as she came across a photo with all three of them. They had definitely posed for the shot. Noah looked uncomfortable as he stood behind his mother and sister, both sitting with their bodies angled towards each other. Rachel studied their faces, taking in the youth of his sister and wisdom of his mom; both showed a striking resemblance to Noah.

She moved along slowly, taking in each picture and committing them to memory. It was the first time she'd gotten a chance to see a _real_ family up close, even if it was only through pictures.

It seemed nice.

"Here," Noah said, interrupting her thoughts. Rachel turned to see him re-entering the room. She had been so fascinated by his family that she hadn't even realized he had left in the first place. He held out a set of folded clothes and a towel towards her. "I figured you should probably change."

He continued, rushing the words out awkwardly. "Not that there's anything wrong with what you're wearing, it's just that, you know, not many people walk around like they're going to a dance."

Rachel laughed. "That's alright. I understand. Though I do love to dance!"

She accepted the clothes as Noah mumbled, "They're my ma's. Sorry I don't have anything else, but those should fit you. She's short, too." He teased.

She laughed again. "Thank you, I think."

Noah smiled at her, and if there was a word for the jittery feeling _that_ smile inspired in her chest, she didn't know what it was.

"Come on," he led her upstairs to a bathroom. "You can get yourself cleaned up in here," he told her. He moved to leave, but when he saw the blank look on her face, he laughed kindly. "Here, I'll show you." He patiently told her how to turn the taps and adjust the water, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before turning to leave once more, closing the door behind him.

Rachel stared at the back of the door once he had gone, swallowing nervously. He seemed in rather a hurry to leave and couldn't help but wonder why. Perhaps he was simply eager to get cleaned up too.

She set the clothes down on the bathroom counter before turning to watch the water streaming down. She felt foolish and stupid standing there, unsure what to do. She guessed she should get used to doing stuff like this. Stuff like eating and changing clothes; just everyday things that she never had to do before. She didn't come all this way to be stopped by falling water.

So Rachel took a deep breath and dove right in, so to speak. She took a step under the heavy spray, letting the water seep into her hair and long silvery dress. She watched as the fabric turned a dark shade of grey and began to cling to her body.

And she had to say… humans were weird.

Her dress got heavier and heavier as it soaked up the water, weighing her down. It felt really uncomfortable. The only nice thing about the experience was the gentle rhythmic massage of the hot shower spray, warming up her body.

She remained in the shower for a while, allowing the warm water to fall over her until it turned cold, almost unbearably cold, and she began to shiver.

She had no idea what to do next.

Stepping out of the shower, she shuffled across the wet bathroom floor, leaving a trail of water behind her. She exited out into the hallway and strained her ears.

"N-N-Noah?" She called, her teeth chattering.

"Down here," she heard him call.

Following the sound of his voice, she continued shuffling, arms wrapped tightly around her upper body. She pushed open Noah's bedroom door, which was already slightly ajar, and gulped. Suddenly she didn't feel so cold anymore. At least, not on the inside.

She watched stunned as Noah pulled a clean shirt down over his body. It was as if he was moving in slow motion. She watched in awe as he pulled the dark green shirt down, her face inexplicably heating up when she caught a glimpse of his taut stomach and tanned skin. She stared, astonished and confused. It was a completely different confusion than before when she stared at the falling water in the shower. She couldn't describe or explain it. And she wasn't sure she was quite ready to just yet.

"Woah," Noah exclaimed when he turned to face her, taking a step as he took in her appearance. His eyes seemed to darken with some indescribable emotion for a moment before he realized he was staring. He strode over to her purposefully, his eyes shifting around the room slightly, his expression becoming concerned. "What the hell? What did you do?"

"I-I-I d-d-d-don't know." Rachel shivered. "I-I-I've n-nev-ver d-d-done this-s b-before."

Noah quickly ran back to the bathroom and retrieved the pile of clothes.

He chuckled, mostly to himself, as he pulled out the towel and wrapped it around her, his hands moving up and down her arms to soak up the water.

"Crazy girl," he said, almost affectionately as he rubbed her arms. "You're supposed to take off your clothes before you step under the water."

"What?" Rachel asked astonished. "You mean, naked?"

Noah tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, letting out a low chuckle. "Er, yeah, naked."

"Oh…" Rachel replied. Her eyes shifted around the room uncomfortably. Suddenly, she didn't feel so cold anymore, but she couldn't tell whether it was due to what he was doing, the embarrassed flush rising on her face, or his close proximity to her. Probably a combination of all three.

Somehow, she felt a thrill of excitement standing this close to him. She tried to sneak glimpses of his face. He had taken a shower, too. Gone was the dirt and dried blood. His skin looked soft, yet the now clean cut now displayed on his forehead made him look even more masculine, if that was possible. It almost made her want to reach out and see if there was a difference. She was so close to him that she could even see a light smattering of freckles along his nose; close enough to recognize a faint aroma that made her think of the woods.

"It's my fault." Noah apologized. "I should've explained properly."

"No, no, I should have realized." She felt so stupid. In all her years, centuries really, of observing the human race, she'd never focused on their trivial everyday matters. It was always about the shows, the songs or the dancing. Besides, it probably would have been a great invasion of privacy if she had. It was definitely a good thing that the human race didn't realize they were being watched all the time; otherwise, there would probably be mass hysteria.

"Do you think you'll be okay now?" Noah asked, rather awkwardly but concerned. Rachel's eyes met his. Noah's hands had slowed down with only his thumbs moving in smooth circles against her arms. Rachel felt a whole different kind of shiver run up her spine as her breath caught in her throat. He continued to look down at her, gazing into her eyes. He swallowed thickly, and she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down. If she didn't know any better, he seemed nervous about something.

But then the moment was over. Noah moved back, leaving the towel hanging over her shoulders. Breaking the tension in the room, his smile twitched teasingly, "Or do you need help changing? Because I could help with that, too..."

Rachel blushed again and pushed him out of the room.

"I should be quite fine, thank you."

"Are you sure?" Noah asked, his voice filling with laughter. "Because I don't mind lending you a – "

Rachel slammed the door close as his laughter grew louder, permeating throughout the house as he walked away. She changed her clothes quickly, glad that while she technically had no idea what she was doing, a basic natural instinct took over and "told" her what to do.

When she was finally done, her clothes neat and tidy as her damp hair hung down onto her shoulders, Rachel ventured out of the Noah's room and headed down the stairs towards his at whistling; obviously the food and chance to clean up had afforded him a new attitude. She found she quite liked it.

She entered the kitchen just as Noah was sticking something into a large white box, which she assumed was a refrigerator. She had heard of them before, but she'd never seen one. Well, she hadn't seen much of anything before, as she said earlier, but she never really cared. Truth be told, she had always found it all rather mundane.

"Ready to go?" Puck asked when he noticed her arrival.

Rachel nodded mutely as he turned towards her, lifting a duffle bag up onto his shoulder. She watched his muscles shifting under his shirt, and gulped as she tried to _not_ remember how his torso had looked during those brief moments earlier.

"Great," he smiled genuinely. "Then let's go!"

"Okay," Rachel smiled back, glad that he chose not to mention her showering debacle. "Oh, I'm so excited Noah! This is my first adventure. Wait, where are we going?" She asked as Noah began steering her towards the door.

"The bus station." He said shortly.

"Great! Sounds wonderful!" Rachel enthused, before pausing. "But, um, Noah, what's a bus station?"

He laughed. "It's kind of like a bus stop."

"Oh okay. And, um, what's a bus?"

"Baby, you've got a lot to learn. But don't worry. That's what I'm here for. I'll be your guide. Stick with me, and you can't go wrong."

Rachel tried to hide a smile as she followed him out of the house. See, on the outside, he could seem dark and brooding, but on the inside… well, there was just something more. Something that intrigued Rachel more than anything human related had ever before. Maybe even more than Broadway.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but the next one is _long_, so hopefully it'll make up for it. :) **

.-.

The morning sun was high in the sky by the time the large black blur finally came to a halt, stopping along the border of a giant dirt crater.

Quinn surveyed the area with a critical eye, her mouth pursed in displeasure. It was obvious the star had landed here. But the question was:_ where was it now?_ There was nothing here. It was possible the star was in hiding, but it was also possible it was long gone from this place, or worse, someone _else_ had found it. Quinn growled at the thought. There was no way she was going to let another star slip though her fingers. Not after her foolish mistakes from last time.

Noticing movement on the opposite side of the crater where three men stood, examining the baffling scene, Quinn nodded to her two companions and they quickly sped across. They bridged the distance within moments and Quinn slowly slinked up to the man obviously in charge, while Brittany and Santana approached the other two, hips swinging suggestively and their pinky fingers hooked together.

"Hi," she smiled seductively, gazing deeply into his eyes.

"H-h-hi," her prey stammered out.

"And just who might you be?" she asked coyly.

The man blinked at her hazily. "Sherriff Figgins."

"Ooh, really?" Quinn cooed, and continued to stare into his eyes as he gulped and nodded his head. "And your friends?"

"My-my deputies. Bamboo and Ryan."

"Really?" Quinn batted her eyelashes. "And what's going on here?"

"W-we don't quite know." The Sherriff answered breathlessly. Quinn's smile widened as he slowly spiraled into her trap. _Men were so easy._ "All we know is that there's this giant crater in the middle on the old Callahan field, and a flipped truck."

She looked at the beaten up truck and quickly realized someone had beaten them to the star. She needed to know who. They must have found her, possibly helped her. Quinn just prayed that they weren't too late. If they captured the star before she gave up her wish, then they'd finally be free. After being trapped in servitude for almost half a century, Quinn was desperate for freedom. They all were. She owed it to her friends to make this happen.

After all, it was her fault they were trapped. It had taken more than a century, but she'd finally gotten Santana to forgive her, while Brittany had been a bit more understanding. She had promised that she would make good, and this was finally her chance. Finally.

Quinn's eyes flashed discreetly to Santana and Brittany, their wrapped arms around the necks of the deputies and staring deep into the deputies' eyes, enchanting them with their captivating smiles. She spoke to them silently as they moved, her own flirtatious grin on her lips. _Remember girls, it's all about the teasing, and not about the pleasing. _

"Oh? Who does the truck belong to?" she asked, bringing her own arms up to circle his neck.

"I-I really shouldn't say." Sherriff Figgins stammered out with difficultly, trying to lean his body away from her grasp.

Quinn suddenly gripped his neck tighter, angling his face towards hers to draw him in further under her spell. "Who does the truck belong to?" she asked a little more forcefully, drawing her face closer to his.

His eyes fluttered slightly, becoming even more flustered. "P-Puck. N-Noah Puckerman. He lives in town, over at 32 Grace Street."

The three girls smiled, positively menacingly.

"Thanks for that," Quinn whispered quietly. She watched as his eyes followed her lips drawing ever closer to his, his mouth puckering slightly to accept her kiss. But as his eyes shuttered close, Quinn's arms jerked suddenly, simultaneously with Brittany's and Santana's, each girl snapping the necks of their victims with a resounding crack. "It's exactly what we needed."

The three bodies crumpled unceremoniously, thumping loudly as they hit the ground.

"What do you think?" Santana asked as she and Brittany approached Quinn, ignoring the dead bodies of their victims.

"We hit the town," Quinn commanded, her face contorted in disgust. "Whoever has our Queen's star will fall just as easily as this filth."

Santana and Brittany nodded in agreement, and once again they were off in a dark blur.

.-.

An hour.

That was how long it had been since Rachel had started talking. Ever since they had stepped onto the bus, she had been going non-stop. This girl obviously only had one speed: light speed. Talking about everything, from the scenery, to the dusty smell of the bus, to the miracle of "automobile machinery." The number of topics this girl could talk about was endless. Puck was just thankful that the bus was relatively empty, otherwise they'd have probably been kicked off in the last town for disturbing the other travelers.

He guessed those were the perks of catching the early bird bus, but still, he'd been hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep before they arrived in New York.

"… Making Tommy Tune the first to win Tony gold in four categories_." _Rachel chatted on happily.

"Uh huh," Puck sighed, his head propped up uncomfortably by his hand. "Totally interesting." Finally deciding he couldn't take it anymore, he turned to Rachel and covered her mouth with his hand. "Look, Rachel, as great as all this is, I've been walking all night, not to mention I haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours. I'm just really fucking tired and your constant talking isn't really helping things."

Rachel looked slightly taken aback and opened her mouth to explain. However, Puck's hand muffled her words. She shrugged his hand away. "I really am sorry, Noah," she said, her brow furrowed. "I'm just excited. I've never..."

"Yeah, I know." Puck sighed again, cutting her off again. He gave her a small apologetic smile to let her know he wasn't annoyed, just tired.

He watched, amused as she tried to keep quiet, her lips pressed together tightly, but he could tell simply by the excited bouncing of her knees that she wasn't going to last long.

"Do you know how many great performers have performed on Broadway?" She finally burst out, still as bubbly as ever. She just couldn't seem to help herself. "And just think, in ten short hours, I'll be another aspiring performer in New York City, trying to reach the majestic halls that are coveted by so many wonderful people." She was practically jumping in her seat.

Puck could feel his eyes drooping, already drifting off to sleep and barely taking in her words when...

His eyes snapped open again and he frowned. "How do you even know all this stuff anyway?" It had only just occurred to him. Rachel was a _star_. She had never even eaten food before. _How the hell did she know about Broadway to begin with?_

Rachel looked away, almost bashfully. "Well, it can sometimes be quite dull being a star. We have nothing to do but look down at the Earth and observe. It allows for a lot of free time, and my favorite pastime has always been watching Broadway. The many different shows that have come and gone over the years; they're all just so amazing."

Puck nodded thoughtfully, before frowning again. "How many years?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked confused.

"Well, this Tommy Tune guy sounds old," Puck elaborated. "So just _how old_ are you?"

"Oh well," she herself looked puzzled at his question. "I don't know." She considered it for a moment before continuing. "I've never really thought about it. I've just _always_ been up there, watching. So, well, I guess we're ageless."

"We?"

"Yeah," Rachel nodded. "Me and my family."

"You mean the stars? You're a... a... family?" he asked, taking in this new information. It was all pretty mind-blowing. He'd had hours to get used to the idea, but he wasn't sure he was quite there yet. Rachel nodded again, answering his disbelieving question. "So what's your last name then?"

Rachel tilted her head and looked at him contemplatively.

From his vantage point, Puck had a good view down the expanse of her neck and he almost groaned. However this time it was in frustration._ Why did he find everything about her so arousing?_ It was just her neck, for fuck's sake! The image of him trailing kisses along _that_ neck sprang to mind, leaving a line of hickeys in a variety of different shapes like balloon animals. He was a freaking connoisseur when it came to hickeys.

"Hmm, I guess it's Star." She giggled softly to herself, which only added to the fantasy.

Puck frowned again, trying again to push his stray thoughts away. "So your name is Rachel Star?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Well, that's just stupid," Puck said without thinking.

"Hey!" Rachel protested loudly, hitting his arm. "That's such a mean thing to say!"

"Oh, well, I didn't mean 'stupid' stupid," Puck scrambled to explain. "I just meant that you can't be a Broadway star with a name like 'Rachel Star' it's too cheesy. We have to think of a better one."

She took a minute to mull over his words before replying. "Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense." Rachel said with a small smile, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "I've never even considered that before. Well, what do you think it should be? I know that a lot of the greats have unique and wonderful names that inspire awe just by letting them pass through your lips." Suddenly, Rachel began jumping up and down in her seat. "Oh! Oh! I know, I can be Rachel Barbra!" she exclaimed.

"Barbra?" Puck repeated, unconvinced.

"Yes! Barbra! She's my favorite Broadway star. My idol. I want to be _her_. It just makes sense that I have her name."

Puck laughed, but shook his head. "No, that won't do. She's already famous. You want to make your own name."

"Oh," Rachel replied, rather dejectedly. She thought it was rather perfect, actually.

"But hey, look," Puck continued encouragingly. "Maybe it can be your middle name or something."

Rachel met his gaze and shot him a wide smile. "Really? You don't think that wouldn't be too, what was the word you used…? 'Cheesy'?"

"Yeah," Puck laughed and nodded. "Why not? Rachel Barbra. It's kinda catchy, so we just need to think of a last name."

Rachel's smile widened. "Any ideas? There are a multitude of great names out there. It'll be hard to find one that hasn't already been taken. It'll be a miracle, really, if we can find one that can live up to the standards of so many great artists."

Puck thought for a moment, watching her, before his face tilted with an almost evil smirk. "How about Rachel Barbra 'Talkalot'?" He teased playfully.

"Noah!" Rachel admonished, but Puck could still see the blush blossoming along her neck as she looked away shyly. "This is serious. It regards my future as a Broadway star. And I don't appreciate that you're not treating it as such!"

"No? Then how about Rachel Barbra 'Nevershutsup'?" he teased further.

Rachel giggled loudly, her laughter filling the otherwise quiet bus. "Okay, now you're just being mean!"

.-.

Quinn kicked open the large white front door of 32 Grace Street before stalking inside. She could already tell that the house was completely empty, her excellent hearing zeroing in on nothing more than the dripping sound of a leaky tap upstairs. It was obvious that if the star _had _indeed been here, she had since moved on.

"Spread out and search for clues." She commanded as she moved further into the house.

The three of them searched the house quickly, thoroughly checking for any sign of the star. However, they found nothing.

It wasn't until they reached the kitchen that Quinn noticed the messy scrawl of "Puck" on the refrigerator. She stormed over and plucked up the note. It read: _Ma, gone to NYC for a couple of days. Should be back soon. I'll call you when I get there. Puck._

Quinn steamed in frustration, her sparkling green eyes flashing dangerously. She turned around swiftly and swung her leg in a viscous back kick, aiming for the large square dining table. It flew towards the wall, splintering into a pile of wood. "She's not here," Quinn bit out. "It doesn't even look like she's even in Lima anymore."

"The Queen is not going to be happy with this." Santana remarked in a bored voice. Quinn turned to see the Latina leaning against a nearby wall, examining her hands as if checking for dirt beneath her perfectly manicured nails.

"Will you shut up, and at least try to be helpful?" Quinn barked. "Don't you want to find her, too?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Overdramatic much?"

Brittany reached out and laid a calming hand gently on Quinn's shoulder, shooting Santana a pointed look. Santana rolled her eyes at Brittany but remained silent.

"Quinn?" said softly, her face drooping in a sad smile. "What should we do?"

Quinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay," she said, looking at her partners in crime once again. "First things first, we need to blend in."

Santana arched her eyebrow unhelpfully watching as Quinn walked over the wall and plucked a photo containing a teenaged boy with a ridiculous Mohawk off the wall. "What do kids in the 21st century even wear these days?"

.-.

A short while later, as they ran through the quiet town, the trio came across three girls leaving a large, grassy field, clad in strange clothing that Quinn assumed was a normal teenage girl outfit. The field itself was also strange. It had long white lines spanning the length and large numbers marked on the grass; there were two tall poles at either end, while the field was flanked with shiny metal benches that rose upwards.

Quinn assumed in was just some weird human thing and chose not to dwell on it much longer. Instead, they easily surrounded the girls who had initially paid them no mind. It wasn't until they were almost nose-to-nose with them that the girls even deigned to glance in their direction. She smirked at their insolence.

"Give us your clothes," Quinn demanded with a menacing growl.

One of the girls, obviously the leader like Quinn, gave her a pinched look and spoke, "Ew, no, you perv."

Quinn growled again and lurched forward, one hand grabbing the girl around her neck. "Give us your clothes, now."

The girl's eyes widened with fear. "O-okay. O-okay.," she stammered and just like that, the trio had swapped clothes with the girls, switching their traditional black silk gowns for a very short red skirt, and a red, black and white top.

"What does 'WMHS' mean?" Brittany asked naively.

Santana grabbed the head girl by the scruff of her dress and lifted her in the air. "Answer her, _puta_."

"W-william McKinley High School," she stammered out as the other two girls cowered. "They're our cheerleading uniforms…"

Santana rolled her eyes again. "They're in high school. Lame."

"Enough," Quinn barked, sneering at the girl and fixing her with an angry glare. "How do people get to _'N-Y-C'_ without a vehicle?"

"What? You mean a car?" The girl replied, cowering in fear. "The bus station, I guess."

Quinn nodded silently and commanded Santana to drop the girl. In a blink, the three new cheerleaders disappeared from sight, leaving the three frightened girls completely baffled as to what just happened. And if it weren't for the fact that they were no longer wearing their practice cheerleading uniforms, they might have been inclined to believe that it was all just some weird figment of their imagination.

.-.

**A/N: Due to a lack of response, I can't really tell if people are actually enjoying this story so far. I really do hope you are. Please let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts; good, bad, and in-between :)** **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: LONG chapter this one. I hope you like it :) **

.-.

Puck jerked awake as the bus came to a sudden stop. He didn't know when, but he had somehow managed to doze off. _Thank god_. He turned to look at Rachel and couldn't help but smile. The non-stop talking machine had finally tired herself out, her head resting on his shoulder while she slept. He almost laughed as he took in the sight of her gaping mouth and the slight snoring sound emanating from her. For a star, she wasn't really as graceful as one might think.

Puck craned his neck to the front of the bus, just as the bus driver made an announcement over the bus' loudspeaker. "A thirty minute break for lunch and to take a piss," he growled before stalking off the bus.

Puck looked at Rachel again and gently nudged her awake. She groaned in protest.

"It's the middle of the day." Rachel whined tiredly.

Puck laughed. "I know. But it's time for lunch. Come on, Rachel, wake up."

Rachel groaned again and her eyes blinked open, obviously groggy from sleep. She stared at him momentarily before mumbling, "Stars rarely stay awake this late."

Puck smiled down at her, caught off-guard by whatever feeling she was inspiring inside of him. He could admit that he found her attractive; his _body_ clearly did. But for some reason, it felt like more than that. It just... he still didn't even fully understand how all this was happening. He didn't really want to add his messed up swirl of emotions into the confusion.

"Yeah, well, you said it yourself; you're not just any ordinary star," he replied, standing up and pushing his duffel back beneath his seat. Rachel looked up at him owlishly, obviously surprised by his words. "Now come on, I'm fucking starving."

"Okay, okay," Rachel relented, as Puck pulled her reluctant form off the bus. "But you have to promise not to eat me like you suggested before… what?"

Puck had stopped abruptly in the middle of the aisle to look at her, his eyebrow arched suggestively. He was reminded once again how she clearly had _no idea_.

He smirked at her, shaking his head. "Nothing," he replied before continuing on his way.

They stepped out to the not-so welcome sign of a rundown truck stop, complete with moldy ceiling and boarded up windows, its seediness leaching from every aspect of the structure, if you could even call it that.

"Noah," Rachel began uncertainly, peeking out from behind his shoulder. "I don't think I want to eat here."

It was almost funny, expect it wasn't. He didn't think anyone in their right mind would eat here. They'd probably contract a parasite from eating one of the "deluxe" sandwiches which were advertised on large, gaudy posters.

"Yeah, you're right." Puck replied, resigned.

"Let's try our luck over there instead," she suggested, pointing towards a tiny town adjacent to the truck stop, a little way down the road.

"I don't know, Rachel..." Puck replied uncertainly. He was hungry, sure, and there was no way in hell that he'd actually eat any of the food here, but the town looked smaller than Lima. Things didn't look promising at all. There was also the matter of the bus. It would only be here for half an hour. Puck seriously doubted the potbellied driver would wait for stragglers if they got delayed. He was reluctant to leave in case something happened.

"Please, Noah…" Rachel pleaded, tugging on his arm. "Surely whatever they have available there will be much more enticing than the food here. At the very least, the food should be more sanitary."

"Maybe we should just wait–" he started as he was unceremoniously interrupted by the loud grumble of his stomach. He looked at Rachel as she pressed her lips firmly together, trying to hold in her laughter. "Fine," Puck relented. "But we better be quick."

Rachel clapped gleefully before slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow. "Thank you!"

It took them about five minutes to reach the center of the small town called Resol. Puck was actually disappointed at how small the town was. In fact, it seemed like one of those small towns in movies where a psycho killer goes around killing people, and nobody would notice for weeks that everyone in town had been brutally murdered because no one ever went there.

It had a total of four streets, crisscrossing in a grid, each lined with either houses or small shops. He guessed that the regular trucker crowd kept the town from dying, but Puck was hardly hopeful that they'd find anything more appetizing to eat.

It seemed like a hopeless cause until he smelled a heavenly scent emanating from a small shop at the very end of the street. He briefly glanced at Rachel, who was equally entranced by the smell. They quickly made their way over and found themselves standing outside a little deli called "The Midnight Schue".

And by little, he meant miniscule.

They walked inside to find a woman in her early to mid 30's standing primly behind the counter, carefully wiping it down with disinfectant wipes. She looked up as they entered, a wide smile on her face, and gestured towards the single table in the joint.

Puck ushered Rachel to the table as the woman quickly disposed of her clear plastic gloves and rounded the counter.

"Welcome," she said sweetly in a high pitched voice, adjusting the tiny, white chef's hat sitting slightly askew upon her ginger hair. "What can I get for you?"

Puck glanced at Rachel as she perused the menu, a perplexed expression on her face. She shot Puck a look and he chuckled.

"I got this," he said, reaching over to take the menu from her before ordering.

The woman smiled as she jotted down the order before rushing back to the kitchen. Puck turned his head and saw a man with curly hair and a spatula in his hand. He watched as the man looked at his wife adoringly while she spoke to him excitedly, no doubt relaying their order.

Puck smiled, turning towards Rachel. Though he didn't quite know why, the woman's boisterous smile reminded him of her.

Puck leaned back in his chair and listened to Rachel as she chatted merrily while waiting for their food. She had obviously recovered from her interrupted nap earlier and was now back to her bouncing, happy self. He really couldn't see where she got all her energy from. Sure, he had managed to get a couple hours shut-eye on the bus, but he was still as dead as ever, eager to get back so he could sleep some more. Rachel, on the other hand, was almost impossible to stop once she got going.

He watched her intently as she rocked in her seat excitedly. She was rambling about a photo of kittens hanging on the wall, gushing about their cuteness. He was thankful when their food came, not that he expected her to settle down as they ate; it's just that the more he watched her, the more... intrigued he became. She was so unaffected. So different from anyone he'd ever met.

He pushed a plate towards her and said, "Here, try this."

She reached out daintily to pick up the burger on her plate, bringing it slowly to her lips before taking a bite. She chewed thoughtfully, savoring the taste. "It's quite nice," she said with a smile. "What is it?"

Puck took a bite of his own burger, almost groaning at how good it tasted. "It's a beef burger." He replied. "With everything."

She looked at him and asked shyly, as if she was afraid of his response, "Um, what's beef?"

Puck chuckled. "Well, you remember that cow you were 'talking' to this morning?" Rachel nodded before he continued. "That's beef."

She looked at him in confusion, but as his meaning dawned on her, Puck watched in surprise as her eyes widened in horror. Rachel coughed and spluttered, almost choking on her food.

"We're eating Paulie? She exclaimed hysterically.

"Woah," Puck leaned forward, patting her on the back. "Who the hell's Paulie?"

"Paulie the cow!"

He looked at her incredulously. "You named the cow?" he asked, exasperated. He almost wanted to roll his eyes. If she hadn't seemed so genuinely upset, he probably would have.

"No, no," she said, quickly spitting into a napkin. "She told me her name."

Puck gaped at Rachel. She was now on the verge of tears. He could see them stinging her eyes as she tried in vain to blink them away. He couldn't believe how upset she was getting, and he had no fucking clue what to do about it. It only reinforced his thoughts that _this chick was fucking crazy. _

Don't get him wrong. He was used to crazy. He could handle crazy. You can't grow up in a house with two Jewish women and not be able to handle crazy, not to mention his Nana who lived in a nearby street. So yeah, crazy he could deal with. But his mom, his nana and his sister had never burst into tears over a cow, let alone a cow named "Paulie."

Puck was so focused on Rachel that he didn't see the owner walk up to them with a concerned look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, almost timidly. "Is there something wrong with the food?"

"No, no," Puck stammered out. "But, er, it's probably best to take this away," he finished, handing her Rachel's plate before whispering to the woman. "Um, do you have anything without meat in it?"

The woman nodded in understanding and quickly disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Er, Rachel..." Puck began, uncertain what to expect. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she hiccupped, but she refused to look up from the table.

Puck quickly poured her a glass of water and pushed it towards her. "Here, drink this." He said gently.

Rachel accepted the glass and sipped slowly.

"I'm sorry," she apologized sadly, putting her glass back on the table.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again. "You're not gonna, like, go all hippie on me and start worshipping animals, now, are you?

She paused for a moment and looked at him incredulously. "What?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion, before she continued in a strained voice. "What are you talking about, Noah?"

"Er, nothing," he replied quickly, looking away shiftily. "What I meant to say was, you good?"

She nodded, but she continued to look at him strangely for a moment. "Yes, I'm fine, Noah. Thanks." But he could tell she was lying, and sure enough, her face crumpled again as she reached for another sip of water and she hastily looked away.

He felt like such an idiot. He never was good at saying the right thing, especially when there were crying chicks involved.

"Hey..." he said, trying to sound soothing as he shifted his chair closer to her body, and awkwardly reached his arm out to wrap around her shoulders. "It's okay..."

"No, this is _not_ okay, Noah," she said indignantly, but her words were muffled as she pressed her face into the crook of his shoulder and shaking her head. "I just keep thinking...I don't know how I'm going to live here if I have to kill helpless cows to survive."

Puck rubbed her arm gently, smoothing circles with his thumb. "Nah, it's not like that. Plenty of people don't eat meat. I should've thought to ask first. From now on, I'll know."

Rachel tilted her head to the side and opened her mouth to reply, but just then the woman came back over and placed another burger in front of them.

She smiled at them kindly. "Here, it's a veggie burger."

Puck mouthed a grateful _thank you _as she returned to the kitchen, pushing the plate closer to Rachel. "Try this instead," he said with a smile. "No meat, this time. I promise."

Rachel smiled half-heartedly before picking up the burger and taking a bite.

It was a while before she spoke again. It felt weird. Ever since she had literally come crashing into his life, she had been bouncing around; she was a non-stop talking ball of energy. Her silence made him feel more uncomfortable that he could have realized.

But he guessed he understood why she was so upset. He struggled for something nice or reassuring to say, but given his bumbling attempts earlier, he thought better of it. Instead, he just sat there with his arm around her shoulders as he took a few bites from his own burger.

"That was rather delicious," Rachel said quietly as she finished her last bite, still refusing to meet Puck's gaze.

"Yeah?" he asked, trying to engage her.

"Yeah..." Rachel sighed. "But I hope I don't have horrible dreams of Paulie coming to take revenge."

Puck stared at her with uncertainty. At first he was sure she was being serious, but then he saw the telltale twitch of her lips and his body relaxed. He smiled at her when she finally looked up at him.

"You probably think I'm crazy don't you?" she asked with a small smile.

Puck laughed, squeezing her shoulder. "Yeah," he teased jokingly. "But I grew up with a lot of crazy in my house, so I'm used to it."

She swatted at his chest playfully, and Puck tried not to wince at the impact, suddenly reminded of the large purple bruised growing beneath his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, a concerned expression overcoming her face.

He was just about to tell her it was nothing when the owner came over again.

"Is everything okay here?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Yes," Rachel smiled back. "It was delicious."

"Yeah, it was great." Puck agreed.

"Thank you." The woman clapped her hands together gleefully. She turned back to the counter, picking up two paper bags, before facing them again and holding them out. "Here, compliments of the house."

They gladly accepted as Puck took out money to pay for their burgers. "Thanks," he said gruffly.

The ginger-haired woman smiled. "Are you folks from out of town? I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah," Puck replied. "We're just passing through actually..." Puck's voice trailed off as he realized how long they'd been here.

"Crap!" he exclaimed as he checked his watch, turning frantically back to Rachel. "Fuck, Rachel, the bus!" he yelled pulling Rachel up and running towards the door, shooting a quick apology over his shoulder as they ran out.

As quickly as they could, the pair ran back towards the truck stop, desperate to get back to the bus in time.

But they were too late.

They reached there just in time to see the bus driving off in the distance, leaving a whirl of dust in its wake. Puck groaned as he slumped down on a nearby bench, staring desolately at the cloud of dirt before he closed his eyes, tilting his head back.

"My duffel bag was still on that bus," he said glumly as Rachel took a seat beside him. He opened his eyes to find Rachel looking at him guiltily.

"Noah, this is all my fault." Rachel said apologetically, wringing her hands in her lap nervously as she looked down at them.

He let out a low sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, no worries," he said, though he knew his voice sounded annoyed and abrupt. Not that he was annoyed at her. If anything, he was annoyed at himself for letting this happen. Luckily, it wasn't the end of the world; there would always be another bus.

"I guess we'll just catch the next one." He sighed, grabbing her hand to pull her up. "Come on."

Together they walked into the truck stop, Puck trying to ignore the fact that her hand was still in his as he focused on her uncharacteristic silence. He found that as intense as her constant talking was, he didn't much like the quiet Rachel trailing behind him slightly. He much preferred her lively chatter to her solemn behavior.

Looking around, the place was as desolate and disgusting as he had expected. Up in front sat a man in his early twenties, more engrossed with whatever was on the small portable TV screen than what was happening in the store.

As they approached the guy, Puck cleared his throat trying to get his attention.

"Cash or card?" The attendant asked in a dull monotone, still staring at the TV.

"Er, neither, man," Puck replied, rolling his eyes when the dude still didn't look his way. Not that Puck could blame him. Hell, yesterday, this was him. Only then did it occur to Puck that he hadn't called in to work this morning, which meant he was probably fired. Though knowing Ms. Del Monico, she had probably indignantly called Truman's old address, only to find out all over again that Truman had died two years ago.

But that didn't matter anyway. If this all worked out like he hoped, Puck would never have to step into another Sheets'N'Things ever again.

"Look, dude," Puck said impatiently, waving a hand in front of the attendant's face. "We just wanna know when the next bus to New York will get here."

"All buses along State 80 have been suspended." The guy answered, in the same bored voice. "There's a massive pile up at the border. It's all over the news," he finished pointing to the screen.

Puck leaned over the counter to look at the grainy news bulletin, not noticing Rachel slipping her hand from his. An aerial view of a huge four lane blockage involving two separate buses was on the screen. The weird thing was each bus was at least 10 meters apart from each other. There was no way that the buses had collided. And yet, there they were, rolled on their sides with smoke billowing from them.

"Jesus," Puck whistled in shock.

"Yeah, I know, man. It's totally awesome," the attendant exclaimed, mistaking Puck's shock for awe. "You should've seen the hysteria, man. Some crazy woman was ranting about an evil red blur earlier, saying it was the shadow of the devil. Fucking insane!"

Puck shook his head disbelievingly. "But what 'bout the bus that just left?"

"Got rerouted back to Cleveland." The boy informed him with a shrug, returning back to the carnage.

"So there's nothing?" Puck asked incredulously.

"Nope, man. Nada…"

Puck turned away from the unhelpful attendant, cursing under his breath. He opened his mouth to talk to Rachel when he noticed she wasn't standing beside him anymore. Now, she was standing by the glass sliding doors, staring out at the road while nervously biting her lip.

Puck walked over to her and sighed. "It looks like we're stuck here till tomorrow. Guess we should try and find a place to stay – if there even is a place in this tiny-ass town. I don't remember seeing a motel anywhere when we walked through earlier."

He frowned when Rachel didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even seem to notice him standing there at all. He reached out and shook her shoulder lightly. "Hey…"

She jumped back slightly at his touch, her eyes wide with surprise as her gaze met his.

"N-nothing," she stammered out. "What?" She shrugged Puck's hand away.

Puck looked at her, concerned. "Look if this about the bus, I told you already…"

Rachel laughed unconvincingly, shaking her head. "It's not," she lied. "It's nothing, really."

"Okay, then…" Puck drew out, studying her uncertainly. He had only known her for less than a day, but Puck got the unsettling feeling like she wasn't telling him something. He was torn between saying something and letting it go. As much as he had complained earlier, he found that he really didn't like her like this. A quiet Rachel just seemed weird and unnatural. He watched her as she turned to look out the window again. Something was definitely wrong. She had had no problem talking non-stop in the past twelve hours since he'd met her. The most bizarre twelve hours of his life, but still…

Just as he was about to open his mouth again and push her to tell him what was wrong, she looked around uneasily and quickly said, "We should find a place to stay. There's no telling how long we'll be stuck here, and I'd rather not have to sleep on a bench tonight."

He signed as nodded in agreement. He was still slightly distracted by her odd behavior, but right now, he had other things to worry about, like where the hell they were going to sleep. He made a mental note to push her for an explanation later.

Puck almost turned back to the truck stop attendant to ask for the nearest motel, but the dude was now laughing hysterically at the TV screen, almost doubled over and completely ignoring the beefy trucker staring at him with an annoyed look on his face. Puck rolled his eyes, opting to chance walking through town. The dude hadn't been much help so far; there was no reason to think that would change any time soon. Hell, the way that trucker was steaming at him, the attendant would probably be dead in an alley way before he'd ever be helpful to anyone.

They walked outside again and headed back into town. Rachel slipped her hand through the crook of Puck's arm unconsciously as they walked, still lost in her own little world. Together, they made one lap around the small town with no luck.

Puck signed again, scrubbing one hand over his face in frustration. Suddenly he felt exhausted, even worse than after their earlier trek into Lima. He slumped down on the curb and pulled Rachel to join him.

As she sat, Puck heard the unmistakable sound of rustling paper. He looked around and saw Rachel fiddling with the two paper bags the woman at the deli had handed to them earlier. He had forgotten all about them in his rush to get back to the truck stop.

"What's inside?" he asked, nudging Rachel with his thigh.

She tentatively took a look inside before handing the bags to him. "I don't know," she answered.

Puck held back a chuckle as he accepted the bags, taking a look himself. He almost groaned with delight as the sweet aroma of pastries hit his senses. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a blueberry danish. From the scent alone, he wanted to devour it selfishly and leave none for Rachel, but her intrigued smile and his own messed up sense of good manners stopped him.

"Here," he held the pastry up to her lips and smiled. "Take a bite."

Rachel returned his smile and leaned forward. He tried not to stare at her lips as she did. It was beginning to become a habit, one that he didn't want to think about. Especially since the past twelve or so hours had felt like an eternity, but in a good way. It was definitely … different. Different and unforgettable.

Rachel hummed in satisfaction, her tongue poking out to lick up the stray icing powder on her lips. Puck cleared his throat and looked away, handing Rachel the paper bag before digging into his own.

"These are incredible!" Rachel exclaimed, savoring each bite. "There's definitely no meat in them right? Because I don't know if I could stop eating them even if I wanted to!"

Puck laughed. "No there's no meat. There's just blueberries."

"Well, we should go back and thank them." Rachel said, her mouth half-full. "And maybe they'll know where the town's lodging facilities are."

Puck's head bobbed in agreement. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. The woman had been kind to them earlier, and maybe they'd be able to get some more of these blueberry danishes. "Sure."

A short while later, after they'd both licked the sugary icing from their fingers, they entered "The Midnight Schue" once more.

The young red-headed woman appeared from the behind the counter, smiling brightly. When she recognized their faces, she paused and frowned. "Oh, did you miss your bus?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Puck replied, nodding his head. "So we just thought we'd come back to thank you properly for the danishes."

The woman nodded happily. "Did you like them?" she asked excitedly. When Rachel and Puck both nodded, she clapped her hands together softly and did a little dance, swaying from side to side. The woman turned her head slightly and called out behind her, "Will! Will! They liked them!"

The curly haired man stepped out of the back room and approached them. "That's great, sweetheart." He said chuckling lightly, before turning to Puck and Rachel, offering his hand. "Hi. As you probably heard, I'm Will. Will Schuester."

They introduced themselves as they shook his hand, and learned that Will and his wife, Emma, had only recently opened up this deli; a small dream of theirs. Puck also proceeded to explain to them how they had missed their bus and all the schedule cancellations.

Will nodded his head thoughtfully. "Yeah, I heard about that on the news. Frightening stuff," he said, wrapping one arm around his wife's waist and pulling her a little closer, almost like he was afraid she'd disappear.

"So, we were just wondering," Rachel began. "If you could point us in the direction of your town's accommodation facilities, it would be greatly appreciated."

Will and Emma both cringed, sharing a brief glance.

"Um, guys," Will began, apologetically. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but Resol doesn't have any accommodations." Puck closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. He'd been afraid of that. "No one ever wants to stay here," Will continued explaining. "It's so small that people pass by it every day without really noticing."

Rachel's hand curled around Puck's and tugged lightly. "What are we gonna do, Noah?"

He turned his head to look at her worried face. She looked at him as if he had all the answers, like he could fix anything and everything. He felt a hollow sinking feeling in his stomach, as if he had already disappointed her. He had one job, and that was to get her to New York. How had he failed already?

He faced Will and Emma once again and asked, "Do you know how far the closest town is? Maybe we could walk there or something?" Puck really didn't like the prospect of walking again, especially now in the late afternoon summer heat, but what choice did they have?

Will and Emma exchanged glances, Will's forehead creased thoughtfully. "How about this instead, guys," he began. "You can stay with us."

Rachel's eyes opened wide and she shook her head. "Oh, no. We couldn't dream of trespassing on your hospitality. You've been so kind to us already."

Puck wanted to agree, but he couldn't. Staying with the Schuesters was probably a better option than taking another long trek along a dusty highway, searching for a place to stay; the only option, really.

"Don't be silly," Emma shook her head vigorously. "We'd love to have you! The nearest town isn't for miles. There's no sense walking in this heat. I mean, our home isn't big since we live above this shop, but we've got a nice fold-out couch that we use when we do have visitors. It should do nicely."

Puck and Rachel both opened their mouths to protest, but Will cut them off.

"There's no sense arguing, guys." He said with a wide smile. "Once the Missus has made up her mind, there really is no changing it."

Emma nodded in agreement.

Puck looked at Rachel and silently asked her what she thought. The beaming smile said it all. And before either of them could open their mouths, Will said, "Great, then it's settled."

Emma clapped excitedly and pulled Rachel towards her.

"Excellent, you can help me make some raspberry jam. It's always more fun having another woman around to talk to."

Puck couldn't stop the smile as Rachel nodded eagerly and followed. "Sounds fun! But, what _is_ jam?"

.-.

A short while later, Puck found himself sitting at the long table in Will and Emma's shop, nursing a beer while watching Rachel help Emma. He used the word "help" very liberally because she had probably eaten more raspberries than had actually gone into the jam.

Will sat beside him while he drank, and it might misogynistic and old-fashioned, but Puck kind of liked sitting back and watching as the women moved about behind the counter. Or rather, he liked to watch Rachel. In fact, he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off her.

"At the rate you're going, Rachel, there's not gonna be any left," he teased.

They all laughed as Rachel twitched her nose playfully before popping another in her mouth and savoring the taste of yet another berry. He continued watching her, sort of dazzled by her. Yes, he used the word "dazzled". It was the most appropriate word. She almost seemed like she was glowing, until Puck realized… she _was_ glowing. It was very faint, no more than the slightest shine. If she hadn't shown him earlier, he might not have recognized it. But it was growing stronger with each passing second.

Throwing a quick glance at both Will and Emma to check they hadn't noticed anything, Puck cleared his throat surreptitiously and caught Rachel's eye. In a blink, the shine was gone. She looked at him with a sheepish smile. Puck was just glad that neither of the Schuesters seemed to notice. They were too caught up with what they were doing; Emma with her cooking, and Will with his watching Emma cook.

They seemed like genuinely nice people; simple and happy. What Puck couldn't really understand was why they would open a shop in the middle of nowhere. They seemed like smart people. Will had told them that they both used to be teachers at a high school in New York. So why move to a practically deserted town to open up a deli? Puck and Rachel had already been there for hours, and not a single other customer had walked through that door.

He turned and glanced at Will, his own toothy grin wide on his face as he watched the ladies.

"What's on your mind, Puck?" Will asked when he noticed Puck's inquisitive stare, his tone light and inviting.

"Er…" Puck began hesitantly, unsure how to ask without sounding like a complete and total jackass.

Will smiled again in understanding. "You're wondering what we're doing out here, aren't you?"

Puck continued looking at him, nodding apologetically. "It just seems weird, ya know?"

Will sighed. "Emma had some problems in New York." He said, his voice filled with regret. "Things got… dangerous. For both her and her students. So we decided to leave."

"But why move to the smallest bum town on the face of the planet?" Puck asked incredulously, trying his best not to sound like a jerk. "Even if she was having troubles with students, it wasn't really a reason to move to a nothing town like Resol."

Will sighed again, offering Puck a strained smile. "It's just safer that way. It's better that there are less people around. You know how guys often say women get cranky at 'that' time of the month? Well, let's just say for my wife, it couldn't be more true."

Puck stared at Will in confusion, still not quite understanding. He felt like Will was talking in riddles.

He took Will's silence to mean that he didn't really feel like explaining further, but Puck knew there was definitely more to the story. He decided not to continue pressing for information. It didn't feel right to pry further. He's not even sure he should have asked in the first place. The whole conversation irked him.

Puck took a long swig of his beer, asking as he set it down, "Do you miss it? I mean, packing up your life and moving must be hard…"

Will shot him another sad, resigned glance. "Sometimes, but circumstances being what they are, I wouldn't have done it any differently." He turned his head to look at Emma. "I would do anything for her. I mean, you're doing the same for Rachel, right? It's what you do for the one you love."

It only then occurred to Puck that Will and Emma thought he and Rachel were together. Like, _together_ together.

He opened his mouth to correct Will, but just at that moment the girls squealed and a loud thud sounded, followed by Emma calling out to Will. "Sweetie! We need your help!"

Fearing the worst, they both rushed to see what was wrong; concern etched on both their faces. But as they rounded the bench, all they saw was Rachel sprawled on the ground, surrounded by raspberries, and empty overturned box lying beside her.

The funny thing is that Rachel didn't seem to care in the slightest or seem even a little bit distressed, smiling up at them as she lay prone on the floor.

.-.

Puck didn't know why he felt nervous as he followed Emma up to the apartment. He knew he should probably point out that they, in fact, _weren't_ a relationship, but the words caught in his throat. He could feel his heart racing, and his hands sweating. It was like he was a thirteen year old boy again, discovering how much he liked the way Demi Delmarco look in a bathing suit.

"It isn't much," Emma said kindly as they entered the Schuester's living room. "But it's home."

Puck and Rachel looked at the fold-out couch gratefully. "It's perfectly fine," Rachel said enthusiastically. "My first bed."

Emma shot Rachel a peculiar smile when Puck jumped in quickly, "She means the first bed she's slept in other than her own."

Rachel chuckled nervously. "Yes, of course, of course. That's what I mean. I've always firmly believed in having a good place to rest you head, wipe away the misfortune of the day and begin anew. This is perfect."

If Emma thought they were acting strangely, she didn't show it. She just seemed to accept the response because she just nodded, smiled and headed to get some linens out of a nearby closet.

"Well, the guest bathroom is to the left. The hot water is very temperamental. And _don't_ flush the toilet if anyone else is showering." She advised. "Rachel, if you want something to wear to bed, follow me."

Puck watched as the two women walked away, disappearing into what he assumed was the master bedroom. Will walked out a few minutes later holding out sweat pants and shirt. "Here, you go, Puck. You'll probably be more comfortable in these."

Puck thanked him, which the older guy simply waved off before he headed towards the bedroom.

Puck walked over to the bathroom and quickly changed. Just as he was tugging the shirt over his bruised chest, his phone rang and he cringed when he saw the caller ID. He had completely forgotten to check in with his mom.

"Hey ma," he said, bracing himself for the explosion.

"Noah Puckerman!" her voice shouted at him through the phone. He had to move it away from his ears as she ranted, her voice ringing out clear as day. "Just what do you think you're doing? Disappearing in the middle of the night, and leaving the door wide open! And what did you do to my kitchen table?"

"Wait, what ma? What are you talking about?" he tried unsuccessfully to interrupt her nonsensical tirade, but nothing could deter her.

He struggled for the next few minutes to understand what his mom was yelling about. He caught snippets here and there about tables and never giving her any Jewish babies, but he couldn't really decipher what was going on behind the babble.

"Wait, ma…." A soft knock at the door interrupted his train of thought and Puck rushed out quietly, "Uh, ma, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

He hung up without waiting for a reply and stepped out, tugging uncomfortably at the collar of his sweat shirt. He always hated sleeping in clothes. He looked up just in time to stop himself from walking straight into Rachel.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized, looking down at her. He found himself smirking at the blush coloring her cheeks.

"It's okay," Rachel mumbled before sliding past him and closing the door. A few moments later, he heard the water running, and he couldn't help but smile. Hopefully she'd have more success tonight than she'd had that morning.

Puck busied himself, pulling out the sofa-bed and fitting it with the sheets. He had just come back from the kitchen with two glasses of water when he heard Rachel emerge from the bathroom.

He gulped as he looked at her. She had indeed managed to shower properly this time, but seeing her standing there, her damp hair hanging around her face and in a long white nightgown, it just did something to him. Suddenly, he didn't think them sharing a bed was such a good idea. He had reasoned earlier that there was no sense in making a fuss about the two of them sleeping in the same bed; he could keep his hands to himself, even if it was going to be really fucking difficult.

But now, he thought otherwise as his eyes slowly roamed her body. It wasn't even like she was naked or anything. But he could see the shadow of her form through the material of the gown, and her wet hair triggered memories from that morning when she had entered his room drenched from head to toe, her silver dress clinging to every curve of her body, and her nipples pressing against the material as she shivered uncontrollably. It had been so hard to not reach out and just pull her towards him, pressing his lips (and body) against hers until she was moaning his name. It was hard now. In every sense of the word.

He groaned inwardly and shook the images out of his head, forcing himself to return the present. Rachel looked just as nervous as he felt, one hand clutching the opposite arm.

"Er," Puck said, making a snap decision that he would probably regret in the morning. "I'll take the floor."

"You don't have to…" she began, but Puck cut her off.

"It's probably for the best. I'm used to having the bed to myself. I'd probably end up pushing you off or something," he lied. He had shared many a bed with many women before, but she didn't need to know that. He just knew if he put himself in such a tempting position, he'd probably have her flat on her back, his hands between her thighs (at the very least) before the night was out.

"Oh, okay then…" Rachel replied, not meeting Puck's gaze. He would have liked to say that he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice, but that was probably just hopeful hearing.

Puck nodded, plucking one of the pillows and blankets off the couch and laying them on the floor. It felt hard underneath his back, a little more than stone covered with carpet, but he pushed himself to endure.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound as he heard the rustle of sheets as Rachel got into bed. He _did not_ need to add the thought of Rachel in a bed to his fantasies right now. (Not that they weren't already there.)

_She is a star, you are her guide _became the mantra running through his head as he lay there. _Nothing more than her guide. _He tried to move as little as possible, fearing that every movement would lead to him jumping up and joining her.

He could hear her soft even breathing in the silence. Just as he thought she'd fallen asleep, she spoke, her voice so quiet, barely above whisper. "Noah?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah?" he replied, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I'm sorry about today. About us missing the bus." She yawned as she finished the sentence.

Puck smiled. "It's no big deal, Rachel. I actually had fun. It's been weird but fun…"

Rachel hummed in agreement, and Puck found his eyes drooping. He fell asleep with a smile on his lips, and perhaps if had been sleeping next to her, he'd have seen that she had, too.

.-.

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read and review :) I got a little worried after the first chapter when the response seemed to dwindle and I thought maybe this idea was just too bizarre for people to get on board with. lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	6. Chapter 6

.-.

The next morning, Puck watched on in amusement as Rachel devoured her muffin. Will also looked on with a wide smile while Emma laughed from the kitchen.

"You know, Rachel, I think you're turning into quite the berry lover."

She looked up at him, surprised. "What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"Well, yesterday it was straw_berry_ pancakes, a blue_berry_ danish, and rasp_berry_ jam. Today it's a black_berry_ muffin. I think the common denominators are the berries," he teased.

Rachel smiled sheepishly, her face glowing brightly. "I just can't help it. They taste so good."

Puck, Will and Emma all laughed as Rachel continued to enjoy her pancakes.

Puck touched Rachel's hand, warning her through his touch, and immediately her skin returned to normal. He turned to Will, racking his brain for an excuse or explanation, but surprisingly, his expression hadn't changed; it remained completely neutral as he slowly glanced away. Puck briefly wondered if he'd noticed anything, but decided that since he hadn't jumped back in shock or fear, they were probably safe.

"Thanks again for putting us up last night," he said gratefully, bobbing his head.

"Nonsense," Will shrugged off his gratitude. "We were happy to do it, and I've been thinking, we have a friend still in New York. She comes to visit us once a month, and she's due for a visit next week. Instead of waiting for the bus to arrive, you could just drive our car and drop it off at Shannon's. That way she won't have to take the bus when she comes to visit."

Emma grinned and nodded eagerly in agreement. "Will, I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. Shannon would love that!"

Puck opened his mouth, ready to protest, but Will cut him off.

"Really, I insist."

"No, we couldn't possibly…" Rachel pressed on. "We've already been such a burden."

"Like Will said, that's nonsense." Emma waved away Rachel's objections. "We were glad to have the company. Besides, it gave me a perfect opportunity to work on my hosting skills. I really love it, but I'm afraid the only visitors we ever get other than Shannon are my parents, and well..." Will and Emma shared a look before she continued. "They're a rather difficult pair to get along with."

"Regardless," Rachel chirped in happily, and smiled. "We really appreciate it. All of it."

Before he knew it, Puck was sitting behind the wheel of the Schuester's small beat up car as he pulled out of its parking spot. Rachel's head hung out of the window as she grasped Emma's hand tightly while waving a teary goodbye. He, too, offered a wave as he slowly drove away from the small welcoming town.

Resol might be a forgettable dot on a map, but he felt a genuine sadness for leaving it behind.

.-.

Quinn growled in frustration, kicking the fat bus driver in the stomach and sending him flying down the length of the bus.

They'd hit another dead end.

Yesterday, they had terrorized every bus driver en route to New York. All but one had arrived by the scheduled time, and Quinn had been convinced that the star would be on _that_ bus once it had arrived. They had waited in the darkened underground bus station for hours, leaned up against a hard stone pillar and tried to be patient.

They had ambushed the driver as soon as he'd arrived, only to learn that he'd been rerouted through Cleveland, and all his passengers had gotten off at that stop. The star wasn't in the city.

Looking at the former bus driver's sprawled form gave Quinn very little pleasure, but it was enough to form the faintest of smirks on Santana's lips.

"You're gonna be in trouble," the Latina sing-songed, an evil glint in her eyes.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Quinn yelled, her eyes flashing red, almost matching the red of her Cheerios mini-skirt. "Can't you just shut up for once in your long and miserable life!"

"Well…" Santana opened her mouth to fight back. She had never been one to take abuse from Quinn.

But Brittany interrupted her softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. "Santana…"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Ugh, those eyes aren't gonna work forever, Britt." She said, but her lips held the faintest of smiles; not a smirk, but a genuine smile.

"What should be do, Quinn?" Brittany asked their de facto leader.

Quinn sighed, rubbing her forehead. Her mind was running in circles, trying to decide the best course of action, but she kept coming back to the same conclusion. It was their only option; an option she really didn't want to take.

"Quinn?" Brittany asked again as Quinn remained silent, her brow creased with worry.

Santana laughed mirthlessly and Brittany shot her another warning glance, causing the Latina to roll her eyes again.

"We don't have a choice, Britt." Quinn sighed deeply, really dreading what was about to come. "We have to tell her."

Suddenly, Santana's arrogant smirk disappeared, while Brittany's frown deepened. Brittany and Santana both nodded their agreement solemnly. They needed help, and there was only one person with the ability to help them.

Reluctantly, the three girls touched the golden bands engulfing their wrists and closed their eyes. Instantly, the glowering form of their Queen appeared before them.

"What is taking so long?" The Queen yelled impatiently. "You should have been back now!"

They each bowed their head submissively, but as before, Quinn was the one to speak for them.

"Our apologies, my Queen."

"I don't want your apologies!" The Queen continued ranting. "I want my star! Now! Where is she?"

"We-we don't know." Quinn flinched as she heard her Queen scream in frustration, knocking over a large shelf in the castle and transmitting a deafening crash to them. "We went to Lima," Quinn quickly explained, trying to placate the Queen's unyielding wrath. "But she was already gone. She's on the move, my Queen, and we thought we tracked her down to New York City, but when we got here, we..."

"Enough!" The Queen yelled. "I don't want to hear any more of your excuses. Brittany!" The blonde looked up to face the frightening image of her queen. "Slap Quinn with this chicken breast."

Magically, the piece of chicken appeared in her hand. She walked over timidly to Quinn, and lifted her hand, slapping Quinn's face half-heartedly.

The Queen didn't even crack a smile before she turned abruptly. She looked over her wall of caged animals. Leaning down, she pulled out a squealing piglet by the tail as it tried to escape.

"Quiet," she demanded, and instantly the piglet fell quiet. She walked back over to her apothecary table and lifted the shiny crooked dagger, thrusting it downwards, this time slicing open the contents of its stomach. She hummed as she studied the poor animal's entrails, her angry frown turning into a wide smile.

"Not to worry, my pets." She turned back to face the image of Quinn, Santana and Brittany. "Stay where you are. My star will be coming to you." With that, the Queen cackled gleefully, excitedly giving the trio their new instructions. "She'll be there very soon, and then..." the Queen smiled an evil toothless grin. "... she'll be mine!"

.-.

Rachel gazed out the car window in wonder as they drove, her head darting everywhere as she tried to take in everything at once. They were so close to the New York state border, and she just couldn't contain her excitement. There was so much to see, and she didn't want to miss a thing.

She, Rachel Barbra, was fast approaching New York City to fulfill her dream of performing on Broadway.

She swiveled around in her seat again, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of the city skyline. She cursed the infernal seat belt Puck had insisted she _had to _wear. She tried to explain to him that _she was a_ _star_. She didn't need a seatbelt to contain her, but Noah would have none of it.

"Look Rachel," he'd said with a stern glare. "This isn't my car, and I've got, er, a couple of past violations, so I don't want no cop pulling us over and finding out this car doesn't belong to me, okay? With my luck, they'd book me for stealing." Then he rushed out, a little less harshly, that he didn't want to see her get hurt. "It's just safer."

She let it drop after that. She wondered if he would always make her heart race this way, like it wanted to jump out of her chest and sing. Even right now, hours since they'd left Resol, she could feel the fast thud in her chest, threatening to burst. She wanted to say it was only because they were so close to New York, but deep down, she knew it wasn't entirely true; the young man sitting next to her had something to do with it. Maybe a lot to do with it.

"Rachel," Noah said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You should close your eyes."

"What?" she looked at him in surprise. It seemed like a very strange request.

Noah chuckled, chancing a brief glance in her direction before returning his gaze to the road. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Rachel gave him another strange look. "I hardly see how that's relevant, but yes, of course, I do. I wouldn't be here with you right now if I didn't."

Noah smiled, another one of those rare genuine smiles. "Then close your eyes. Would I steer you wrong?"

"No, no, I guess not." She replied, still unsure what was going on.

"Okay then?" he said expectantly.

"Okay." Rachel closed her eyes and covered them with her hands, squeezing them together tightly when Puck told her to. "But I'll have you know, Noah, that this is highly suspicious behavior and doesn't exactly bode well for your character."

She didn't know how long she'd sat there like that, but Noah refused to let her sneak a peek, threatening to pull the car over if she didn't listen to him. The longer he made her sit there, the more anxious she became, squirming in her seat, and pouting openly with her displeasure.

Noah laughed after a while and finally said, "Okay, now you can open them."

She removed her hands, squinting as her eyes once again adjusted to the light. As her eyes came into focus, Rachel couldn't stop the excited squeal from escaping her mouth. "Oh my god!"

She smiled brightly, her eyes transfixed. Right there, she could see New York City, and it was beautiful. Who knew the world could look so different when you were actually a part of it?

She could hear Noah chuckling as she gaped at the sight before her, but she didn't care. It just added to the memory. She would forever remember her first glimpse of the greatest city on earth, set to the soundtrack of Noah's deep, resonant laugh.

.-.

"This should be the place," Noah said, squinting at the map in his lap.

Rachel glanced out the window, looking upwards. They were parked outside an old apartment building, its bricks a dull grey from years of withstanding New York weather and spots of bird poo lining the pavement.

It wasn't _exactly_ what she had always pictured when she imagined living in the big city. Other than the occasional car, the area was almost completely deserted. She felt an uneasy tingle creep up her spine, a sense of dread washing over her.

"Okay…" She said slowly, slightly scared when she noticed a gang of men rounding a corner at the end of the street. She felt uncomfortable, like someone was watching her. She almost jumped in fright when Noah placed a hand on forearm.

"Don't worry," he said, soothingly. "We'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you." She turned her head and met his gaze. She felt her heart skip a beat. "Still trust me?" he asked with a cheeky smirk.

She smiled and nodded, letting her body relax. Noah was right. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. And besides, what could possibly happen? This was the greatest city in the universe, and all they were doing was simply returning a car one of the Schuester's friends. She couldn't believe that Will and Emma would have told them to come here if it wasn't safe.

Taking a deep breath, she exited the car, clasping her hand around Noah's elbow when he came to meet her. It was becoming second nature, and she kind of liked it.

"Well just drop off the keys, and then we'll have to see if we can find a place to stay." He said with a smile.

Rachel was glad that Noah seemed to have a plan.

Other than "Get to New York" and "Become a Broadway Star", Rachel didn't really have anything else planned. Now that she thought about it, she had been foolish to believe that she could do this on her own; possibly even foolish to come here in the first place, but she couldn't look back now. She had Noah, and she truly believed that that was all she needed.

They climbed the steps and up the small stoop. Noah examined the doorbell before pressing "Apartment Nine".

"Yeah?" A gruff voice sounded from the speaker, and Rachel was a little taken aback. When Will had mentioned his friend, Shannon Beiste, she was expecting a woman, but the deep husky voice on the other end of that speaker sounded misleading.

"Hey," Puck replied casually. "We're here to drop off the car. Will sent us."

The door buzzed as Shannon answered abruptly. "Come on up."

Slowly, they climbed the stairs up to apartment nine on the third floor. If Rachel was hoping that the interior of the building would assuage her fears, she was sorely disappointed. She took in the cracked plaster and peeling wallpaper, the hallway light fixture blinking dully as it hung from a single wire. When they knocked on the door, once again they heard the same deep voice shout out, "It's open."

As much as she hated to admit it, even if this was Will's friend, something didn't feel quite right. Her hand clung tighter around Noah's arm, and he placed his free hand over hers, wordlessly trying to calm her fears. They shared a brief apprehensive glance before he reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

They stared inside; the apartment completely pitch black.

"Noah…" she began, her voice filled with dread, when suddenly, a loud blast shot them backwards, slamming them both into the opposite wall. Then, inexplicably, Rachel was flying forward through the air, her grip slipping from around Noah's arm as a piercing scream wrought the air. It took her a few moments of panic before she realized the hysterical screaming was coming from her.

She tried to turn her head as she levitated towards the center of the dark room, barely able to catch a glimpse of Noah's limp form, slumped against the wall. At that moment, she dropped abruptly, her feet hitting the floor with a loud thud. Rachel spun around towards the door, attempting to make a mad dash for Noah when she found her path blocked by an invisible shield. Streaks of electricity shot outwards from Rachel's palms and spread towards both the ceiling and floor like the bars of a jail cell. Rachel tried again, pounding on the wall, sparks appearing against the barrier, dispersing out from the points of impact and quickly dissipating.

"Noah!" she shouted frantically, her body shivering with fear and tears stinging her eyes. She didn't understand what was happening. She continually called Noah's name as she pounded her fist furiously, desperate to reach his unconscious form.

"It's no use," sounded the deep voice from earlier, its owner hidden in the shadows. "You can't get out."

Rachel spun around towards the disembodied voice. "What-what do you want? What are we doing here? Let us go!"

"It's not about what I want," the voice said, its calm unyielding timbre striking fear into Rachel's heart. She heard a noise behind her. Turning her head towards the sound, she watched with wide eyes as Noah's body rose on its own accord, levitating similarly to herself, slowly moving into the room and landing on a chair in the corner. Rachel watched in helpless horror as a rope began winding itself around his form, securing him to the chair.

"Please…" she sobbed, unable to contain her tears any longer. "Please…"

"It's about what I need," the voice spoke again, and Rachel squinted towards the darkness, desperate to see the face of her captor. "And what I need…." Rachel let out another loud sob as the voice continued, "is you."

The ominous words were made even more terrifying by the deafening sound of the front door slamming shut.

.-.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review! I hope you're enjoying it so far! :) **


	7. Chapter 7

.-.

"Hello?" Rachel's voice echoed throughout the darkness. She couldn't see anything unless she pounded on the invisible wall, the purple streaks of lighting briefly casting a dull haze around the room before fading once again. "Please… let us go!" she begged fruitlessly.

She didn't know how long they'd been trapped inside the dark room, but she was worried about Noah's still form. It must have been hours since they'd been captured, and the disembodied voice had remained silent the entire time. Rachel feared the worst. He hadn't moved in all that time. What if he was hurt? Or worse? She couldn't bear the thought of Noah being hurt because of her.

"Please…" she sobbed again, hoping, wishing, praying that he was okay.

Suddenly, Rachel heard a groan from the darkness. Quickly, she hit the barrier, allowing light to briefly flood the surrounding darkness. She sighed in relief when she saw Noah shaking his head, blinking sluggishly.

"Noah!" She called, thankful that he was finally stirring. "Noah…"

"Rachel?" he asked groggily. "Rachel, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Noah," she replied desperately, hitting the barrier again. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." He groaned, and Rachel felt herself wanting to cry all over again.

"Noah…"

"What the fuck?" he asked suddenly. She could hear Noah struggling against his binds, the chair rocking against the floor. "What the hell!"

"Noah…" Rachel repeated. "It's no use." She said, gloomily, echoing the horribly voice from earlier. She hit the wall again before continuing, "I think the ropes have been enchanted by a witch."

Noah's head shot up. "What?" he asked incredulously. "You're joking! Please tell me you're fucking joking!"

Rachel shook her head solemnly, biting her lip as she fought back a fresh wave of tears.

"I don't know what's…." But she was suddenly cut off.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," a voice finally sounded from the shadows, breaking the ominous silence of their captors. A different voice. A voice she recognized. "I really wish I didn't have to do this."

"Will?" she asked, completely stunned with disbelief, searching the darkness blindly. "What…?"

A light started glowing from a concealed door, lighting up two figures as they entered before its glow engulfed the room completely. Will walked forwards into the feeble light, followed by a tall, stocky woman with curly brown hair. Despite her brutish figure and deep voice, she looked as delicate as any other woman, a similar expression of helplessness and regret that was also reflected in Will's features.

"You bastard!" Noah shouted when he saw Will, his wild rocking becoming more forceful as he tried to wriggle free from his restraints. "You fucking lowlife!"

"Quiet," said the large woman standing beside Will, and suddenly Noah's voice fell silent, his mouth flapping soundlessly as he tried to speak.

"I need you to understand, Rachel." Will continued, as if Noah's interruption had never happened. "I need you to know that I don't want to do this, but I have to."

Rachel gaped at him silently. _How had he known? _

"I knew what you were the moment you started glowing. I thought I had imagined it at first, but then it happened again, and I just…" He trailed off. At least he had the decency to look ashamed. "Emma, my wife, she was bitten by one of her students." He tried to explain. "It was an accident, but now once a month I have to watch helplessly as she screams in agony. The transformation is long. Unbearable. I just don't know what else I can do…"

Realization dawned on Rachel's face as he spoke, and she looked at him in shock. "You mean she's a…"

"She's a werewolf." Will stated, his voice filled with sadness. Noah immediately stopped struggling, and gaped openly at Will.

"Shannon here is a witch we met while trying to find a cure. She's the only reason we've been able to survive all this time. When I realized what you were, I asked her to help me to…"

Rachel's eyes glared at Will indignantly. "Capture me? Like an animal?"

Will cringed at Rachel's harsh words. "I'm sorry," he repeated pathetically.

"Did it ever occur to you to ask, Will?" she shouted accusingly. "Did it?"

"Please, Rachel, please understand…" Will repeated, revealing a thin, spindly blade from behind his back. "Please…"

Rachel's eye widened in horror as Noah began struggling once again, frantically rocking from side to side, trying desperately to break free.

"What-what are you doing?" Rachel asked, backing away as far as she could in her small cell.

"Shannon says there's no other way, Rachel…" Will explained. "I need it and then Emma will be okay." He was crying now, tears silently streaming down his face. "I'm-I'm so sorry…"

Will approached brandishing the knife, entering the energized prison with ease.

"Please, Will." Rachel begged. "There's another way."

"She's my wife," he repeated hysterically, no longer seeing reason. "She's my wife…"

Rachel helplessly, scrambling to get away. She heard Noah knock himself over, trying to escape his confines, while Will came closer and closer.

"Please, Will." She pleaded. "Please just listen…"

Suddenly, the front door burst open with a bang, eliciting a loud scream from Rachel. Both Will and Shannon spun around to face the intruder.

"Drop it, William," the man said, stepping into the apartment. "You don't want to do this."

Shannon approached the man, mumbling under her breath, trying to mutter a spell to stop him.

"No," the man said, waving his hand, sending Shannon flying towards the opposite side the room to hang limply on the wall, pinned there by an invisible force.

"Blaine!" Rachel shouted, recognizing the old warlock, her voice pleading for help.

"William," he said again, stretching out his hand, his focus fixed on the distraught man. "Hand me the knife."

"It's the only way." Will repeated brokenly. "It's the only way." He turned again, wildly lunging at Rachel.

Suddenly, Rachel found herself able to step backwards; the invisible force field containing her had disappeared. Seizing the opportunity, she ran around the room, as far away from the hysterical man as possible.

"Rachel!" Noah struggled free from his bounds, his voice returned to him. He was now able to scramble towards her, standing in front of her protectively.

"William," Blaine repeated calmly, before commanding, "look here!"

Against his will, Will was forced to face Blaine, abruptly dropping the knife in his hand as though it had seared his skin and causing it to clatter loudly against the floor.

There before him stood Emma, soft tears falling down her cheeks. "Will?" she asked in confusion, her voice very, _very_ small.

"Emma…" Will stumbled towards his wife, his arms moving to embrace her, but instead they just passed right through her body.

"It's a projection, Will," Blaine explained. "She's not physically here, but she can see you as if you were standing right in front of her."

"Will, what are you doing?" Emma asked, trying to contain her sobs.

Will crumpled to his knees in front of his wife, completely broken. "I'm so sorry." He cried again, his voice completely hopeless as he buried his face in his hands. "I just didn't know what to do."

Emma, too, kneeled and sobbed, reaching out, trying to console him, but once again her hand passed through him, like he was nothing more than a stream of light. "Will…"

Rachel couldn't bear it. Her heart ached for the forlorn couple. She moved slowly towards Will, but Noah held her back, giving her a warning look. "It's alright, Noah," she said, trying to reassure him. "It's okay."

Reluctantly, he nodded and allowed her to approach the broken man sobbing on the floor.

"Will…" she said, her hand gently touching his shoulder.

At first he flinched, as if he expected her touch to scald him, but then a fresh wave of tears overcame him, and he grasped Rachel's hand tightly. "Oh my god, Rachel, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay, Will. I forgive you." His body slumped in relief, possibly disbelief, and he looked up at her. "You're a good man, Will. I understand."

He shook his head vigorously, blinking away his tears. "It's no excuse…"

Rachel hushed him, and held both his hands in hers. "It's okay, Will."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Rachel, don't…" Blaine warned but she ignored him.

She couldn't bear the pain this man was in. He was just a lost husband, trying to do whatever it took to protect his wife, and if she could ease his pain, even the slightest, she would do it.

She could feel herself draining of energy, passing it on to someone who needed it more.

Opening her eyes, she looked at Will and said kindly, "Go home, Will. Go home and hold your wife. Tell her how much you love her, and never let her go."

Will nodded, looking away ashamed. He didn't know it yet, but Rachel had imparted a great gift upon him; it wasn't everything that he needed to cure Emma, but with the help of the witch, Rachel was sure he'd find a way.

Rachel released his hands and stood up. She stumbled slightly, feeling a pair of strong arms encircle her waist.

"Rachel…" Noah spoke, his voice laced with concern as he steadied her. "What the…"

"Not now, Noah," she interrupted gently, one hand clinging tightly to his shirt, the other moving to brace her slightly aching head. "Let's just go."

Slowly, with Noah's arms around her, Rachel walked out of the building. The sun was setting as they stepped out of the building, and Rachel had almost forgotten that there was a world outside that pitch black room.

She directed Noah towards a nearby wall and slumped against it, trying to regain her strength. She could feel Noah's concerned yet confused gaze on her, studying her intently. She met his gaze, trying to convey everything silently. She would explain later. She would. Right now, she just couldn't.

Instead, she directed her gaze towards their savior.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Blaine," she said, offering him a smile.

The warlock looked at her calculatingly, not returning her friendly smile. "What are you doing here, Rachel?" he asked calmly, though his voice carried a stern tone.

She ignored his question and turned towards the glimmering white unicorn flanking Blaine's right. "And you, too, Kurt."

Noah looked at her confused. "What?"

She'd forgotten that mortals couldn't see Kurt, that he didn't exist on the human plane. She opened her mouth to explain, but Blaine cut her off.

"Rachel," he said firmly, demanding an explanation. "You shouldn't…"

"I know, Blaine. Can we please just not talk about it right now?"

"Fine," he replied, crossing his arms across his chest. "You can explain it on the way back to my place. That way I can send you back."

Rachel's head shot up. "No!" she said, summoning as much strength as possible to push herself up off the wall, preparing to walk away

"You have to, Rachel. It's dangerous. The Unholy Trinity have awakened, and they're coming for you."

Rachel froze in her place.

She wondered if Blaine's statement was true. The Unholy Trinity had disappeared almost three hundred years ago. After a century of madness and mayhem, wreaking havoc around the world and doing the evil witch queen's bidding, they had vanished. Everyone believed the queen had killed them in anger, jealous of their eternal beauty and unfailing strength.

She shook her head, disbelievingly. "I don't believe you. The Unholy Trinity is gone. They have been dead for a long time." She paused, swallowing thickly, turning on the offensive. "And besides, you're the one who shouldn't be here! I don't need you here, Blaine."

Puck's question, "Who the fuck is the Unholy Trinity?" went ignored.

"Oh?" Blaine asked in disbelief, his voice eerily calm. "And what would have happened if I hadn't arrived? What would you have done? He would have taken it, Rachel, and it would have been useless. At least for his purpose." His hand hooked around her arm to stop her, pulling her to face him. "You shouldn't be here, let alone be using your magics. What you did in there? It's against the rules. And the fact that you did it with no regards for the law further proves that you have to go back. You don't belong here, Rachel." He tugged on her arm, trying to force her to go with him.

"Yes, yes, I do!" Rachel protested stubbornly, shrugging his hand away. She was quickly getting aggravated. _Who was Blaine to all of a sudden turn up and start dictating her life?_ "Look Blaine, I appreciate what you did in there. Your arrival was timely and I am most grateful, but I'm not going anywhere. I _just_ got here!"

"No, Rachel, you have to go back!" Blaine persisted, glaring at her like she was a petulant child. He reached out again to grab her hand when…

"No!" She burst out, yelling so loudly that waves of energy exuded from her body, causing a strong pulse to send Blaine flying backwards. He landed some thirty feet away with a loud thud in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked around panicked, grabbing Noah's hand as he watched, stunned. She briefly looked at the Kurt as he whinnied indignantly, galloping towards Blaine's fallen form. "I'm sorry, Kurt," she called out to him apologetically. "I just… I can't."

Rachel turned abruptly and ran, pulling a speechless Noah along with her, and leaving Kurt to fawn over Blaine's fallen body. She hated doing that to him, but she had to. He just didn't understand. She hadn't come all this way to turn back so close to the finish line.

Unholy Trinity or not, she didn't care. She just couldn't. She refused to. This was her dream, and she couldn't turn back now. No matter what.

.-.

Puck followed blindly as Rachel pulled him along, his mind still reeling at the day's unexpected chain of events. He couldn't help wondering what the fuck he had stumbled into.

At first, this gig seemed easy. Take a hot chick to New York, and all his dreams would come true. Easy as pie, whatever that meant. But after being knocked unconscious, tied up and having his voice magically gagged, all while watching a seemingly normal decent guy lunge at Rachel with a knife?

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Now there was this other guy, Blaine, some magical dude or whatever, who was after Rachel and trying to force her to return "home." And with Rachel talking to invisible people about complete nonsense… Puck felt like his world was spinning out of control. Or maybe it was just spinning?

_What the fuck had he gotten himself into?_

He pulled Rachel to a stop, digging his heels into the pavement. She turned to look at him, and Puck dropped her hand, almost as if her touch burned his skin, letting it fall limply to her side. He stumbled backwards, putting a few paces of distance between them.

He stared at her incomprehensively, watching her as she cringed, shying away from his inevitable outburst, the question bubbling at the pit of his stomach ready to come out. He opened his mouth, his question ready to burst when, suddenly, Puck turned his head to the side and wretched, the contents of his stomach hitting the sidewalk. He turned his face away, spitting out the unpleasant taste of bile lining his mouth.

Rachel rushed over to his crouched form, laying a hand on his back and attempting to run soothing circles along it. But he shrugged her away again, taking another few staggering steps away from her.

It was all too much. The past thirty-six hours shouldn't have happened. It _couldn't _have happened. He pinched his arm, hoping beyond hope that he was still hanging upside down and unconscious in his truck, waiting to wake up. There was no such luck; he felt the definite and unmistakable twinge on his arm.

"Noah…" Rachel began timidly, and Puck whirled around to face her, wiping his mouth with the edge of his sleeve. She looked so scared, like she didn't know what to expect. The anger was there, on the tip of his tongue, ready to yell, scream, anything to make sense of had happened, but as he looked at her shivering, nervous form he found that he couldn't get the words out.

_What was it about this girl? _

He groaned and rolled his eyes in frustration, his hands moving up to clutch his head. He turned away again and took a few deep, calming breaths. When he finally did manage to speak, he tried to remain as calm as possible, speaking slowly and purposefully, void of any anger or distress.

"What's going on, Rachel?" he asked, walking over and slumping down on a nearby bench. He looked around and realized that they were probably on the edge of some park. There was a large stone wall behind him, extending down a large concrete path, a place where everyday people walked and jogged and generally went about their everyday lives. In all the chaos, Puck hadn't even noticed them. All he saw was Rachel, and the image of her cowering away from a spindly knife. He shook the memory away, trying to clear his head.

Rachel sighed and took a seat beside him, her back straight and her body tense.

"It was nothing, Noah," she said dejectedly, her eyes darting about and refusing to meet his.

Puck wanted to groan in frustration again, but instead he turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcibly angling her body towards his.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I almost watched you get stabbed to death!" he said incredulously, rapidly losing his composure. It felt like the fear in her eyes earlier was firmly imprinted on his retina, etched there forever. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread and helplessness he'd had as he lay silent on the ground, effectively bound and gagged.

He looked at her sternly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Now I deserve to know what the hell I've gotten into!"

Rachel glanced down at her hands, wringing them together nervously.

"Rachel…" he prodded, his voice softening as he took pity on her.

"It wouldn't have worked," Rachel finally spoke, her voice shaky. "I mean, he wouldn't have been able to take it. Not like that."

"Take what? Like what?" Puck frowned at her. Her words offered no explanation whatsoever. "What the hell happened back there?"

"He wanted it for his wife." When Puck continued staring at her, his face lined with confusion. "My wish. He wanted my wish."

Puck's eyes widened, realization dawning on his face.

"He wanted to-to cut it out of you?" he asked, incredulously, bordering on hysteric. He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. This was more insane than he thought. He didn't even think that was possible.

Rachel nodded solemnly, still refusing to look up. "But like I said, it wouldn't have worked," she repeated. "That witch had been seriously misinformed."

"What?" Puck shook his head. It felt like it was going to explode as he tried to process… everything.

"My wish can't be cut out of me. I have to grant it willingly, otherwise it won't come true."

Puck stared at her blankly, his eyes unseeing. He could hear the words she was saying, even process a few of them individually, but together, he had no idea what they meant. Puck opened his mouth once more, but Rachel cut him off.

"Please, Puck, can I explain later? I just feel so tired right now."

He tried to nod, he really did, but he just couldn't bring himself to let it go, not yet, not even just temporarily. There were just too many thoughts, fears and alarms running through his mind. It was like a giant mess and he needed, _needed,_ to make some sense of it. Even if they were just the smallest of things.

"At least explain to me who that Blaine guy was." He demanded, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Rachel sighed and nodded. "Okay… That I can explain…"

.-.

Blaine's eyes blinked open and took in his surroundings, the sound of a dull beep filling the background. He turned and took in the heart monitor connected to his chest, the stark white walls and smell of disinfectant. He was in a hospital. He turned his head to the other side and saw Kurt standing over his body.

Blaine sighed, letting his head sink back into the pillow. "Is she okay?" he asked.

Kurt's head bobbed up and down and Blaine relaxed. "She's a stubborn one, that one."

Kurt neighed, shaking his mane.

"Yeah, I know. She is acting just like he was. But he realized his mistake, and so will she."

Kurt moved forward, nuzzling Blaine's hand affectionately.

Blaine smiled. "I'm fine," he said, trying to appease his friend's concern.

Kurt whinnied, his mane shaking again and his hoof clacking against the linoleum floor.

Blaine laughed, scratching the underside of the unicorn's chin. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm perfectly fine. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Sir?" A voice spoke and Blaine turned his head towards the door to see a nurse poking her head inside, looking at him strangely. "Is everything okay?" she asked uncertainly.

Blaine immediately dropped his hand and smiled. "I'm quite alright, miss. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks…" the woman said slowly, eyeing him strangely. She entered the room and walked over to check his vitals, completely oblivious to the pearly white unicorn also occupying the room.

"I feel fine," Blaine said with an assuring smile. The nurse stepped back, appraising him skeptically, Blaine worried that she'd heard him earlier. Instead, he tried to push on cheerfully. "So, can I go home now?"

The nurse fixed him with a stern glare. "Not until morning, at the earliest. You'll need a doctor's consent before you'll be allowed to leave. Also, I need you to fill out this paperwork, Mr…"

"Anderson," Blaine responded promptly, offering the middle-aged woman a smile.

"Mr. Anderson," she repeated, pursing her lips before handing him a metal clipboard. "I'll be back to collect it in a moment." The nurse returned his smile tightly and exited the room, leaving him alone.

As soon as she was gone, Blaine began tugging at the wires connected to his body, disconnecting the monitor and tubes. Kurt whinnied again in protest, nudging Blaine with his nose and urging him to sit back down.

"I'm fine, old friend." Blaine reassured the unicorn, patting his mane. "I have work to do."

Kurt shook his mane and rigorously pushed against Blaine's hand, forcefully sending him back against the bed.

Blaine sighed, shaking his head gently at his friend. "Look, I know you're concerned. But you know as well as I do that we don't have time to waste. The Unholy Trinity is closing in on her, and the witch queen is that much closer to claiming her prize. Not to mention we have to deal with the witch, possibly bind her powers. I don't have time to just lie around."

Kurt leaned his muzzle into Blaine's hand again, staring directly into his eyes, wide and unblinking.

Blaine felt his heart constrict. He had known Kurt his entire life. He had popped up every now and again, seeking Blaine's help, and of course, he'd always done all that he could to help. But lately, Kurt's visits had been few and far between. And Blaine knew exactly why.

It was hard. Kurt, like Rachel, didn't really belong to his world. But nor did he belong to the magical world. He straddled both worlds, coming and going when he could. Blaine knew Kurt hadn't always been a unicorn, but a normal human boy. Well, mortal anyway. He'd been born clairvoyant, able to see all that was, all that is and all that will be. But centuries ago, something had happened, and Kurt was transformed into what he was today. He had never explained what happened, refused to reply whenever Blaine used to ask, so he had stopped asking, opting to help in any way he could instead.

Kurt had been there on the day of his birth, had appeared out of the shadows just like he had done the previous day to warn him. Blaine couldn't remember much of his childhood, but he did remember seeing Kurt come and go, bringing words of warning or hope.

See, Blaine, too, belonged neither here nor there. He'd spent the majority of his life as an outcast, his gifts and youth alienating him from his family and friends. Needless to say, Kurt provided a safe haven from his troubles.

They were… friends. Close friends. The oldest of friends. And it was because of that friendship that Blaine couldn't just sit back and let bad things happen.

Blaine gently placed his hands along the plane of Kurt's muzzle, and brought his face in close. "You and I both know that Rachel's just rebelling against her nature, but sooner or later, she'll want to go back. We can't let anything happen to her. You know we can't."

Kurt neighed, tapping his front hoof softly against the hard hospital floor.

Blaine smiled. "I know. I'll be more careful next time." He again stood up from the bed, and started disentangling himself from the hospital equipment. "Truth be told, I didn't expect her to be so powerful. She has a lot of determination."

Blaine sighed, collecting his belongings quickly to get change from the revealing hospital gown. "Unfortunately, determination isn't going to prepare her for what she's going to face. Not by a long shot."

.-.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think ;)  
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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Got a little bit frazzled with the update this week, but I should be back on track after today. Hope you enjoy! **

.-.

"So you're telling me that that Blaine guy is a warlock with magical powers, and you were talking to an invisible unicorn?" Puck asked incredulously, his tone bordering on absurd.

Rachel sighed. "You said you'd keep an open mind, Noah."

Puck shot Rachel a pointed look. This _was_ him keeping an open mind. It was all just so mind-blowing.

"Okay, then." He said, trying to stay rational through all this. "So say I believe you. Why does he want to send you back?"

Rachel looked away uncomfortably. "He just... doesn't understand what it's like to be a star. He just thinks things should be a certain way, and that's all they can be."

Puck frowned. He had a feeling that it was definitely more than that. This "warlock" seemed like he feared for her life.

"But who the hell are the Unholy Trinity?" he pressed on as his mind ran a mile a minute.

Rachel hesitated again, looking away. "They're nothing. They don't exist."

Puck looked at her skeptically. "They seemed like a fucking big deal earlier. That Blaine guy looked like he was about to shit his pants over them."

Rachel frowned at Puck's crude words. "Noah," she finally looked him in the eyes. "Earlier you asked me to trust you."

He wanted to roll his eyes, thinking this was completely different. There weren't any guys with daggers and dudes with magical powers chasing them when they were sitting in a car coming up on New York City. He opened his mouth to point that out, but Rachel spoke over him. "So, can you please do the same for me? I promise you, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

Puck once again opened his mouth, wanting to tell her it wasn't himself he was worried about. Again, man with a big knife, threatening to cut _her_ wish out of_ her_.

But once again Rachel interrupted him. "Please, Noah," she pleaded, her hands moving to hold his, tracing soothing circles with her thumbs. "Please, I _need_ you to trust me."

Puck sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine, Rachel. I trust you."

She smiled and threw her arms around him. Slowly, Puck's hands moved to land on her waist, surprised at her sudden close contact. He resisted the impulse to bury his face in her hair, to close his eyes, to just hold her forever. He cleared his throat and his mind, gently guiding her backwards to place some distance between them again.

"Okay," he said finally, scrambling for a distraction. "It's getting late, we better go look for a place to stay."

She smiled brightly at him, and Puck briefly wondered what _that_ smile was doing to him. He'd been with a lot of girls, had a couple that kind of stuck for a little while too, but still, none inspired the same feelings that _that_ smile did.

"Wonderful." She clapped her hand together and stood up. "Smile, Noah," she said, finally looking around and taking in her surroundings excitedly. "We're in New York City!"

Puck chuckled and joined her, "You win, Rachel," he said smiling. Burying all his concerns and worries, at least for now, he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She giggled at his attempt at being charming, slipping her arm through his. "We shall!"

.-.

"Noah, I don't think I want to stay here." Rachel said, uncertainly, staring up at a seedy motel. Puck had the exact same thoughts as he studied the rundown building, but who the hell knew that decent hotels in New York were so fucking expensive?

"I know, Rachel, but I don't think I can afford anything better," he said apologetically. "I'm not exactly made of money."

Rachel nodded reluctantly, an evident frown on her face. "I guess it'll have to do." She agreed with a sigh. "I suppose that every true star needs to go through hardships such as these to fuel their art. As I obviously can't tell my soon-to-be adoring public my true history, it'll be stories like these that will shape my image as a suffering performer."

Puck raised an eyebrow her. He opened his mouth, a question forming on his lips before he thought better of it, shutting his mouth again and shaking his head.

Their first excursion into New York hadn't been everything Rachel had expected. He could tell by her face that she was far from impressed at the streets, sometimes lined with trash and seedy alleyways. They'd even passed a fair share of homeless people, which he knew scared her a little. She felt both sad and frightened for their raggedy appearance. It didn't help that they seemed to be in a very shady part of the city.

Puck felt really bad and wished he could afford a good place for them to stay, or at least one less… disgusting. But he had to be practical. His bank account had some cash, but they needed it. He had promised to help her until she became a star, and that would take time.

Neither of them had probably thought this out realistically. There were many hopefuls out there trying to make it in this city. What made Puck think that this was going to be a simple task? They had nothing. No clothes. No apartment. Barely any money.

He'd heard stories of people making it big with nothing more than the clothes on their back, but he had a feeling those were just those pipe dream stories used to keep struggling artists motivated. So until they formed a proper plan, the bare necessities would have to do. At least until she became famous and… she didn't need him anymore.

He shrugged away the thought, as well the unexpected pang in his stomach, and continued his way into the hotel.

They checked in and made their way up to their room, Rachel pressing against his back, trying to hide from the moldy walls and stained carpet. The inside of the room wasn't much better.

"Hey, at least they have a fireplace," Puck joked feebly, trying to make the most of the situation.

Rachel squealed when something scampered across the floor.

"No, no, no." she protested adamantly, backing out the door. "We can't stay here, Noah. It's unhygienic and unsanitary and just plain disgusting! I know I said I was willing to suffer for my craft, but I refuse to stay here!"

Puck sighed. Although he completely agreed with her, he didn't see that they had much choice. "We have to, Rachel. It's all we can afford. Unless we rob a bank, I don't think we're gonna be able get anything better."

Rachel's face lit up suddenly. "You know, Noah, you're exactly right!" she said, brightly.

Puck looked at her nervously. "Er, Rachel, I was kidding. Like I'm all for fulfilling your dreams and all, but we can't _actually_ rob a bank!"

Rachel shook her head ridiculously. "Of course not, Noah. Don't be silly." She entered the room again and shut the door behind her before striding over to the fireplace and daintily picking up a small lump of coal.

"Uh, Rachel…" Puck said again, uncertainly.

"You said you were going to trust me, Noah." She reminded him with a smile. "Now, trust me, you're going to want to see this…"

He watched in apprehension as her fist enclosed around the lump of coal, just like the other day with the flower. A faint light glowed from her hand, escaping from between her fingers, and when she opened her hand again, there sat a small diamond where the lump of coal used to be.

Puck stared on astonished. "What the…?"

"It's all about energy," Rachel said, slightly out of breath, like she had just run a mile. She looked a little uneven on her feet too, but she tried to hide it. "Everything in the world has a certain energy, and energy can be transformed." She explained. Puck picked up the small diamond from her hand and examined it as she continued. "But only similar energy can be transformed. That's why I could change the flower into a butterfly, since they were both living things. But I can never, say, turn a rock into a butterfly."

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Who the hell needs butterflies when you can do this?" he asked incredulously, but then his expression changed. "Rachel, if you could do this all along, then why the hell did you need me? You could just make diamonds, literally."

Rachel smiled at him weakly, taking a shaky step closer to him. "As I said, it's all about the energy, and doing that transformation, even just a small one, takes _a lot_ of energy. It's unsustainable."

Puck nodded, tucking the diamond into his jacket pocket. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of this shit hole. He didn't know how much a diamond like that could possibly cost, but hell, it was definitely worth more than this. It would be enough to get her established here in New York.

Together they searched for a pawn shop. He figured it was their best bet. They couldn't go to a professional jeweler, otherwise they might seem suspicious. Not that they wouldn't seem suspicious walking into a pawn shop and trying to offload a diamond, but Puck figured they were less likely to ask questions.

Rachel stared around, wide eyed, when they finally found one. The walls were lined with many so many different things, from musical instruments to old paintings. She clung to his arm as he led her up to the counter where a grubby old man sat, examining them calculatingly.

He smiled lecherously at Rachel as they approached. "Wot can 'aye doo fer yer?" he asked in an indistinguishable accent, still eyeing Rachel.

Puck coughed loudly, commanding the man's attention, while inching to stand in front of Rachel and shield her from view. He dug the diamond out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. "How much can I get for this?"

The old man looked at them in surprise, his expression becoming intrigued. Slowly, he picked up the diamond and pulled out a tiny eye glass, lifting it to his eye for closer examination. If the man was suspicious, he didn't show it. In fact, he didn't show much emotion at all.

He lowered his hands and stared directly into Puck's face. "Fifty," he said gruffly, his voice steady and unwavering.

Puck frowned. He didn't know much, but he was sure diamonds were worth much more than fifty dollars. "Fuck no," he said, reaching to take the diamond back.

"Fine," the old man rolled his eyes. "One hundred. But 'ats me final offer."

Puck scoffed, pocketing the diamond, turning to leave. "I guarantee yer, no matter where yer go, for 'at size and clarity one hundred grand is the best yer gonna get. Especially without any paperwork."

Puck froze on the spot, trying not to seem stunned. One hundred _thousand_ dollars. He turned slowly, looking the old man dead in the eye. "One twenty-five," he replied. Somehow, he didn't know why, it seemed like the thing to say. He had watched enough movies to know that it would be strange if didn't at least try to haggle a little.

It was now the man's turn to scoff. "One-ten." He said finally, in a take-it-or-leave-it tone.

"Deal." Puck replied, walking back up to the counter. "But I want it upfront."

The old man nodded and sighed, heading towards the back, getting the money out of a safe no doubt. He came back with a small duffel bag and showed him the cash. They completed the trade without another word, and Puck tried not to show that he was shaking inside.

He'd never seen so much money in his life. _In his life._ It all seemed unreal. It was more than enough to set Rachel up here. Hell, if her abilities didn't make her so exhausted, she could live here on that alone. But he supposed that wasn't the point. Rachel hadn't travelled all this way, light years from what he gathered, to get lazy now.

As soon as they step out onto the street, Rachel squealed and threw her arms around Puck's neck, laughing.

"I can't believe something so small could cost so much!" she said, happily. "I never realized! Though now that I think about it, it was rather pretty! I guess Lorelei Lee was right; diamonds _are_ a girl's best friend. "

Puck laughed and spun her around. "You got that right! We can definitely stay somewhere fancier for a few days while we look for a place for you."

Rachel paused, her smile falling slightly. "For us, you mean?"

Puck studied her face, smiling weakly. "Yeah, I guess, for us."

"Noah…?" She looked up at him uncertainly.

He tried to smile at her more genuinely, but he guessed it came out as more of a grimace. "I just, I figured, after I got you here and set you up, you wouldn't need me anymore. I'd be heading back home."

Rachel frowned, shaking her head vigorously. "Of course that's not true. I wouldn't have made it this far without you, and now I can't picture myself making it all the way without you by my side."

Puck smiled widely at her, relief washing over him. He didn't even realize he was feeling nervous. "Besides, we made a deal. You're stuck with me until we see my name in lights!" Puck laughed. "And you still need to help me pick a stage name, Noah Puckerman, so it's seems you're here to stay."

He laughed and picked her up again, twirling her around. "Okay then, Miss Star. Let's go find a place for _us_ to stay."

.-.

"Now this is much better," Rachel said, taking a seat on one of two large beds, staring around the lavish hotel suite.

Puck nodded in agreement. It was awesome. Really fucking awesome. There were pillow mints and a minibar, hell, there was even a safe for the money. He plucked out a few of hundred dollar bills and locked the rest safely away.

Turning to Rachel, he said, "Okay, let's go!"

She looked at him curiously. "But we just got here."

"Rachel, it's your first night in New York City, are you sure you want to spend it in a hotel room?"

She smiled. "But it has a great view!" she joked.

Puck laughed. "You've spent your entire existence with a great view. Don't you want to get a closer look?"

Rachel laughed, too, looping her hand around his arm and nodded excitedly. "Lead the way!"

.-.

He laughed as he watched Rachel. She kept spinning around, just like earlier in the car, trying to see everything around her at once. He was glad that she seemed to bounce back from the earlier drama. It was strange and intense, but he truly hoped they could put it all behind them. She seemed to think they could.

He didn't exactly know where he was going, but after getting some directions from the concierge, he knew there was only one place they _had _to go.

"Rachel," he said, trying to calm her down. "Come here."

She skipped over to him. "Isn't it wonderful, Noah?" She asked, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

He laughed. "Yep, and you still trust me, right?"

She nodded eagerly. "Of course."

"Okay, then I need you to close your eyes again."

She looked so cute as she smiled up at him, unfailing in her faith in him, and closed her eyes.

Slowly, avoiding the bustle of people around them, he guided her around the corner and positioned her in the middle of the walkway.

"Okay, now, open." He instructed.

She gasped as she opened her eyes, taking in the bright flashing lights and giant billboards.

"Noah! It's Broadway!" she exclaimed. Puck laughed again as she ran a little way up the sidewalk before realizing that she had left him behind. She ran back to him, almost giddily and reached for his hand, pulling him along. "Come on!"

She was just as energetic as ever, and Puck found it adorable. She was like a kid in a candy store, running here and there. They made their way along, walking the streets and taking in the sights. She gave him a lively explanation of every play, theatre and poster they passed. Puck learned more about the Great White Way than he had in his entire life.

"Oh look, Noah!" Rachel yelled giddily, pointing joyfully towards a group of buskers. She tugged him forward again to listen. "It's lovely!"

Puck nodded his agreement, laughing as he dropped some money in the open music case.

"Come on," she said, pulling on his hand again. Puck had expected her to drag him somewhere else, assuming something else had caught her eye, but instead, she pulled him closer to the performers, into the center of a gathering audience. Then, to his horror, she began dancing. Not that her dancing was horrible; she was actually really good. What was horrifying was that she expected him to join in.

"No!" he laughed, taking a step back as she twirled her arms in time with the beat.

"Come on, Noah!" she urged, but Puck firmly shook his head.

She laughed at him again, refusing to take no for an answer. His resistance was futile as she pulled him forward, and Puck found himself shuffling awkwardly on the busy sidewalk, surrounded by a crowd of people. To Puck's relief, no one seemed to be laughing _at_ him, but rather with him. In fact, a few other couples began joining in. His eyes trained in on Rachel, and he couldn't take them off her.

She was radiant.

She didn't even need to glow to exude brilliance.

She was breathtaking.

Puck stopped dancing and stared at her. He wondered how one girl could make such an impact on his life in such a short amount of time. All he knew was, wish or not, his life would never be the same.

Rachel spun around again, and noticed Puck's staring. She paused in front of him, looking up at him with a vibrant smile.

"Rach–" he began, but suddenly there was a loud bang behind them. Instinctively, Puck covered his body over hers protectively and ducked down. "What the…?"

It was absolute chaos as the sound of screaming tore through the air. There were people running everywhere, and Puck started pulling Rachel along, trying to also get out of there. Whatever was happening, he didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. They'd had enough drama for one day.

Unfortunately for him, they _were_ the middle of it.

Suddenly, he felt something grab him by the collar and pull him upwards, flinging him through the air. He landed with a thud some twenty feet away.

"Rachel!" he called out groggily as he pushed himself up, ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder. It was still bruised from the accident. He looked for her frantically, cursing himself for letting her slip through his fingers yet again. "Rachel!"

Straining his ears, he heard her screaming for him, and as the crowd dissipated, Puck finally saw her. She was backing away from three girls dressed in cheerleading uniforms who were descending upon her. And they were not just any cheerleading uniforms. He recognized them to be McKinley High Cheerios.

"What the…?" He muttered, scrambling to his feet and racing towards Rachel.

The Cheerios quickly surrounded her, and just as Puck thought frantically that he wouldn't be able to reach her in time, another loud bang wrought the night air. This time, however, the three Cheerios were thrown backwards, but instead of flying haphazardly through the air, they seemed to pause mid-flight, twisting their bodies skillfully and landed deftly on their feet.

Puck finally reached Rachel, protectively standing in front of her and readying himself to do whatever it took to keep whoever these girls were away from her.

The three Cheerios grinned evilly in their direction. "This doesn't concern you," they said almost gleefully.

Puck opened his mouth to shout back, but just at that moment, the warlock guy from earlier stepped up beside him and he realized they weren't talking to him.

"Leave here!" Blaine commanded, exuding power. "Leave and I'll spare you."

The dark-haired Cheerio threw her head back in laughter. "Like you could do anything to us."

A pulse of energy travelled towards them, knocking over several stands and trash bins, but one of the blondes, the leader by the looks of things, just waved her hand dismissively, and whatever pulse had been left them unaffected.

"Pathetic," she said, taking a step forward. "Now, give us the star and we _will _leave."

"It doesn't work that way, Quinn," Blaine shouted back. He waved his arms and sent another wave of energy towards her. This time, however, the blonde was unable to stop it entirely, stumbling backwards slightly.

"Enough," she commanded sternly, her face angry in displeasure. In an instant, she had Blaine around the throat, lifting him in the air and throwing him like he was a ball. He was hurling through the air, but then something seemed to catch him. He was suddenly riding upon something invisible, and Puck realized that the unicorn must be there, trying to help.

The Latina Cheerio rolled her eyes and groaned. "What are you doing here?"

Blaine leapt off his perch and landed swiftly on his feet, running towards Quinn.

Puck watched on, both amazed and terrified at the ensuing battle as they traded massive blows. Blaine shot dark blue balls of energy towards Quinn, but she shrugged off the hits like they were nothing more than paintball bullets. Quinn was much more physical in her assault, launching herself at Blaine, her fists landing powerful strikes to his body. But the warlock seemed to be able to hold his own.

"Come on, Rachel," Puck said quietly, backing away. Whatever was happening, it was because of her, which meant he needed to get her out of there. "Let's go."

Before he could take another step, the Latina was in front of him, her hand grabbing him around the throat. "Not so fast, white boy," she said menacingly, squeezing hard.

"Stop!" he could hear Rachel shouting loudly as Puck struggled against the hand. His vision was rapidly blurring, the hand around his throat clutching ever tighter. And just as he thought he was going to die, his body screaming for oxygen and his mind getting weaker by the moment, a bright white light engulfed him.

He was sure that this was the end, briefly hoping the bright light would at least bring him peace. But then, the hand gripping his throat was gone, and the white light was getting stronger and stronger, blinding him until it slowly started to fade.

As the light dissipated, Puck suddenly found himself standing in their hotel room, clutching his throat gingerly and gasping for air. He realized that Rachel must have brought them here, had somehow transported them here. It was the only explanation.

Whatever she did, they had somehow managed to escape. They were safe.

He laughed with relief, his voice hoarse. "Hey Rachel, why didn't we simply do this before?" he asked in wonder as he turned around. He paused when he saw her pale face. "Rachel?"

He watched in horror as her eyes rolled to the back her head, her body crumbling beneath her. He lunged forward, barely managing to catch her in time before her limp body hit the ground.


	9. Chapter 9

.-.

The last thing Blaine knew, he was being propelled backwards through the air, pushed by an angry Quinn, desperate to get to the star.

And the next?

He was landing safely onto his bed back in his small, isolated cottage. He looked around, stunned.

Kurt, too, was standing beside his bed, the anxious shake of his mane telling Blaine that he wasn't expecting this either.

"Damn that girl!" Blaine cried, thumping the mattress with his fist. Kurt trotted over and nuzzled his nose against Blaine's shoulder.

"I know, I know. But if she doesn't stop using her powers, she's going to run out of energy." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to sense her. "She's weak. I can barely feel her life force anymore. She won't be able to handle another attack. No matter what that girl says, she can't face the Trinity." Blaine groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Kurt whinnied and Blaine sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, I know, at least she's safe. For now, anyway," Blaine rubbed his forehead. Obviously, chasing after Rachel wasn't working. She didn't want him there any more than she wanted the Trinity to be there. Though he guessed _he _was slightly less intimidating. At least he wasn't trying to capture and kill her.

He stood up and walked to his window, staring up at the cloudless night sky. Kurt trotted over to join him, silently speaking to Blaine.

"You know, I think you're right, Kurt." Blaine said, struck by the same sudden epiphany. "A different approach would be best. In fact, I think I know a way to get Rachel to see reason _and_ neutralize the Unholy Trinity." His head turned and he smiled eagerly. He quickly busied himself around the small cottage, collecting supplies and readying his well-worn apothecary table. "And if I hurry, I can have him summoned here by morning."

.-.

Rachel's eyes blinked open slowly, taking in her surroundings. She found herself back in the hotel room, staring at the ornate decorations and the lavish furniture. The bed felt soft beneath her, much softer than the Schuester's fold-out couch, and she could tell by the touch that the sheets were made out of a fine material. It reminded her of life before she came here; the feeling of weightlessness, like she was floating.

She blinked again and looked around, finding a worried Noah pacing back and forth. He held a lamp in his hand, brandishing it like a weapon. She watched as he paused every few paces to stare at the door, as if he was expecting someone to come bursting inside at any moment.

"Noah," she croaked out hoarsely. Her throat felt parched. She tried to push herself up, but Noah was by her side in an instant, there to gently guide her.

"Careful…" he said, looking down at her, his face etched with concern. He quickly paced an extra couple of pillows behind her back, allowing her to sit upright. He then took a seat next to her on the bed, his hand moving to hold hers as he carefully examined her. "Are you okay?" he asked, tentatively reaching out to pat her hair with his other hand.

She nodded tiredly and opened her mouth to speak, only to find that the words wouldn't come out.

Noah reached over to the night stand and handed her a glass of water. She smiled at him gratefully before taking a sip.

Clearing her throat, Rachel tried again. "I'm fine, Noah," she said, her free hand rubbing his reassuringly. His body relaxed slightly, and he took the glass from her, taking a gulp himself, before settling it back on the table. She watched as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. It was only then that she noticed the dark marks around his neck, a large bluish-back bruise marring his features. "Oh my god…" she whispered in shock, her hand reaching out to gently trace the bruise with her hand.

Noah leaned into her touch, and offered her a trying smile. "It's nothing…" he said, "I'm just glad you're…"

Rachel could feel tears stinging her eyes as her bottom lip began to tremble. "I'm so sorry, Noah." She whimpered. He was taking such good care of her, and how did she repay him? She almost got him killed. "Oh god, what am I doing?" Her chest felt like it was closing up. She was struggling to breathe, gasping for air.

"Rachel…Rachel…Rachel!" Noah exclaimed loudly, gently shaking her shoulders and trying to snap her out of her panic-induced haze. "Calm done. I'm fine. It's okay."

"No, no it's not okay, Noah!" She sobbed, shaking her head vigorously. "It's far from okay! I thought it would be so simple. Come to New York. Be a star. I was so selfish that you were almost strangled to death. I can't, Noah. I'm so sorry."

Noah pulled her close, gingerly cupping the nape of her neck as Rachel's tears soaked into his shirt. It was a while before she managed to calm down, his kindness just serving to exacerbate her guilt. But he just held her, running a soothing hand along her back.

When it seemed like she had no more tears to cry, Noah pulled away gently and looked at her carefully, studying her tear-stained face.

His hand moved to cup her cheek, brushing her tears away with his thumb. "Rachel, what is going on?" He asked calmly, like he didn't have the heart to reprimand her. It just made her feel worse. "Who were those girls?"

She nodded somberly, taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze. "They…" she began, trying to find the right words without scaring him. "They were the Unholy Trinity."

He leaned back, wide-eyed, muttering a low curse under his breath. He didn't look entirely surprised by this revelation, but was reluctant to hear it all the same.

"Dammit, Rachel! I was hoping you _wouldn't_ say that…" She watched as he tried desperately to contain himself, but she could see his jaw clenching and unclenching nervously until he burst out, "Okay, seriously, Rachel. I know you said you didn't want to talk about this, but fuck, it's the _second _time today that someone's come after you! You need to tell me what the fuck is going on!"

She nodded again before staring at their hands again, clutched tightly together, and steeling herself for the very long story.

"They work for the witch queen," she began with a sigh. "Her name, well, it _was_ once Sue Sylvester. She's old; older than most of this world. She's gained more and more power over the millennia, by stealing mostly, but when she was human, she was a truly remarkable witch. About five hundred years ago, Sue heard of a rising witch coven, their power rapidly growing throughout the Americas. So she set out to destroy them and take their power.

"By that time, Sue was already very old, and her power, while still formidable, was weakening. So, instead they bargained with the queen, pledging to give her everything she wanted. But they betrayed her, and Sue used the bulk of her power to curse them, bound to do her bidding until their debt had been repaid."

As Rachel continued her story, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but not from fear of what she was saying. She was scared about how Noah would react. So much had happened in such a short period of time, and she wouldn't blame him if he left, but she just felt like she _couldn't_ bear to lose him right now. She just couldn't.

"And thus, the Unholy Trinity was born. For centuries, they wreaked havoc around the world under her command until around 300 years ago when they completely disappeared. Nobody's seen or heard from them since, and it was believed that Sue killed them in a fit of jealousy over their eternal youth and immortality because it seemed like Sue's curse backfired on her. They had achieved all that she desired through this curse, but no one could figure out how."

Noah sat quietly listening to Rachel, the frown on his face ever deepening. "Okay…" he said slowly. If he was scared, he didn't show it and she was grateful for that. "But what the hell does that have to do with you?"

Rachel sighed, reluctant to impart this particular information. "She wants me…"

"For your wish?" Noah prompted when she trailed off. She could see the struggle on his face as he attempted to take everything in, which only served to deter her even more. "Rachel?" he asked. His voice was full of concern that she knew she couldn't _not_ answer. No matter how reluctant she felt.

She looked away, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "No, she wants my heart."

"What?" Noah asked, surprised, obviously no expecting this twist.

"There's this legend, 'He who possesses the heart of a star shall live forever.'" Rachel said sadly, looking up at him through her dark lashes. "Sounds romantic doesn't it? But it's far from it. A star's life is long, almost eternal. In order for someone to own it, they must _take_ it. Sue wants my heart, to take that energy and become immortal."

"How-how do you know?" Noah asked, disbelievingly.

Rachel sighed. "Because she's done it before."

"But… but…" he stammered out, his calm demeanor quickly evaporating. "What?"

"She's killed numerous stars that have previously come to earth. She's the reason stars are forbidden to come here anymore, because while the energy sustains her life, what she didn't count on is that she would continue to grow old. She's able to magically maintain her youth for a few centuries before her powers start to wane. The last star to be captured by her was almost eight hundred years ago. And the last star to fall, about five hundred years ago, managed to narrowly escape her clutches. Now, she's getting desperate. She's almost out of power to sustain herself. It's probably why she sent the Trinity rather than come for me herself. She's conserving her energy for…" she trailed off, but Noah didn't seem to notice as her words hung heavily in the air.

He looked at her in horror, realization dawning on his face. "But if she wants your heart, then that means…"

"She must cut it out." Rachel completed, her voice full of dread.

"Fuck…"

She could almost see the wheels turning in his head, the connections being made. That's why Rachel had understood Will's behavior earlier so easily, why he believed cutting her wish out of her was the only way to save his wife. He had been misinformed, because in truth, he would have instead gained immortality. Rachel didn't want to think about how horrified he would have been to learn the truth. He would have to spend an eternity living with his guilt. It was quite sad, really. Especially since his wife would have continued on just as she is now.

Rachel truly believed Will thought he had no other option. Even though she knew she should at least be angry at him, she couldn't find any within her. Will was just a lost man trying to save his wife. She could only hope that one day someone would love her as much as Will loved his wife.

Rachel was just glad Blaine had shown up when he did. As meddlesome as the warlock was, she was grateful for his concern. Even though she refused to believe that she couldn't have all her dreams come true.

She studied Noah's shocked face, trying to gauge the shadows of emotions playing across his face.

"Noah…" she began tentatively.

She expected him to yell, scream, shout, anything. But instead, his incredulous gaze turned towards her and he asked, unexpectedly calm. "Rachel, what the hell were you thinking?"

She flinched at his words. While his demeanor was calm and collected, his words stung worse than any knife trying to cut out her heart.

"You shouldn't be here!" He continued, his voice slowly getting louder and louder. "Blaine's right, it's way too fucking dangerous for you to be here!" She looked away, fresh tears stinging her eyes. "Look, I know you want this. I do. But I can't protect you! I'm helpless against those girls. That black-haired chick almost snapped my neck like a fucking twig, and I don't even want to think about this queen bitch! You would have been defenseless Rachel…"

"You don't understand, Noah!" she protested, raising her voice as well. "I told you, I have a dream–"

"And you think your dream is worth all this?" he interjected, fear lining his voice. "Rachel…" he took her by the shoulders and shook her forcefully, as if he was trying to wake her up. "Someone is trying to cut your heart out! Why are you doing this if it's so dangerous?"

She looked at him beseechingly, begging him to understand. "Noah, please understand. I've been alive for a very long time. A_ very_ long time. Except I've never really lived. These past few days with you, I've experienced more, lived more, than I have in a millennia of being a star. I was simply just existing. Do you know how painful it is to have a dream and spend an eternity knowing it'll never come true?"

Noah shook his head in disbelief, unwilling to hear anymore. He stood and began walking from the room, but Rachel's quiet pleading voice seemed to cause him pause, at least momentarily. "I just couldn't sit idly by anymore, Noah. I had to at least try..."

She watched as his hand moved up to scrub over his forehead and he groaned in frustration. She could feel the tears streaming down her face as he continued out of the room without so much as a word or even a glance over his shoulder. She was sure he was going to leave her, and she realized that she feared that more than anything else, even more than an evil witch queen hell-bent on cutting out her heart.

Because right now, it already felt like her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.

.-.

Quinn felt the agony of the Queen's wrath coursing furiously through her body, each blow causing her to writhe in pain. She knew both Brittany and Santana were right beside her, enduring the same torture, their bodies contorting brutally as Sue shot bright blue jolts of electricity from her fingertips.

And yet there was silence. Not even a single syllable of their anguish lingered in the air. They had each learned long ago not to voice their suffering; it only served to fuel their Queen's sadistic anger.

It had been a nasty shock to everyone when they appeared unceremoniously back at the Queen's fortress, directly in front of the Queen herself. It had taken a moment before they each realized what happened; Brittany perhaps a little longer, but watching their Queen's triumphant smile turn to bitter rage had been enough to give Quinn nightmares for the rest of eternity.

"Where is she?" The Queen bellowed ferociously, swiping at them through the air. Three large gashes appeared on each of their cheeks, marring their perfect features.

Quinn looked up at her Queen from her position sprawled on the floor, wiping at the blood and sweat running down her face and panting harshly.

"Our deepest apologies, my Queen." She pleaded bitterly. "She was within our grasp and we failed."

"Yes, you did," Sue looked at them coldly, this time sending another blue jolt of energy their way. As they jerked haphazardly on the floor, she continued, "And you remember what happened the last time you failed me, don't you? You disgust me!"

When she took another moment's pause, Quinn slowly tried to sit up suppressing a groan at the pain.

"We tried, my Queen. We really–"she began, but the Queen caused her words to be cut off suddenly. Quinn gritted her teeth together as she felt like every cell of her body had been set on first, the pain overwhelming her again. "We tried, My Queen! We tried!" she shouted through the pain as the Queen continued on her rampage.

"Shut up! You think this is hard? You should try dying inside, that's hard!" the Queen yelled angrily, sending another unbearable assault their way.

Quinn could see Santana and Brittany out of the corner of her eye, the pain threatening to overcome them. She watched as Santana's hand reached out and took Brittany's, trying to comfort her even as she thrashed about.

Even as she lay there panting, granted a brief reprieve as her Queen continued ranting, Quinn couldn't take her eyes off their entwined hands.

She knew about them, of course. You don't spend half a century with two people and not know certain things about their lives, but she felt a deep sorrow for failing them once again.

"Please, my Queen," she gasped through each spasm of pain. "Give us another chance. We won't fail again!"

The Queen laughed, but the sound was hollow, filling them each with chills.

"Like you have a choice," she growled at them before muttering more quietly to herself. "Like I have a choice..."

The past three hundred or so years had been very hard on the Queen. The heavens had forbidden the stars from journeying to earth, and her supply of power had dwindled exponentially. It had been too long since she had claimed a new heart, and she could no longer sustain herself. Even though her power was still formidable, she kept just enough reserved to complete the ritual should another star fall.

However, time was not on her side.

It was part of the reason the Queen hated them so much; why she was happy, gleeful even, to see them bound to do her bidding.

It had long vexed the Witch Queen that despite being the most powerful being to grace the earth in its entire history, three seemingly simple witches had inexplicably been able to achieve what she had yet to accomplish: youth and immortality. Even now Quinn could feel her skin slowly healing, the large bleeding gashes mending themselves as the burns and bruises started to fade away. By the end of the day she would be back to normal, ready to face another battle.

After the first century of their servitude, the Queen had grown increasingly more aggravated as her jealousy overcame her. Her curse upon them had somehow bestowed upon them everything she had yearned for since the beginning of her reign.

Beauty. Youth. Power.

Ultimately, it was an invulnerability that both enraged and perplexed the Queen to the point where she locked them away, unwilling to face her own failures. It was only her curse upon them that stopped the Trinity from turning on her and retaliating. It protected her.

Now, the Queen harbored a deep-seated hatred for the three of them, especially when she had started showing signs of aging, and could no longer use her powers to maintain a visage of health and beauty. It also meant that she was trapped within this castle until she could regain her power to return her appearance to normal, especially her hair.

The queen had always prided herself on her ability to turn her hair into full blonde locks that shone in the sun, though Quinn knew that wasn't how her hair had look all those years ago when the queen was actually human. There was something in her past involving an unfortunate incident with peroxide that made her hair hang lifelessly to her scalp like an old mop. It had sparked the Queen's desire to remain young and beautiful forever. It was the driving force behind her desperate need for immortality.

It was why they were all here today.

But now, the Queen's appearance issues were the least of Quinn's problems. She was a vindictive, angry old woman, her bitterness only worsening during her time locked away in this castle. Quinn feared what would happen to them once she managed to get her hands on that star.

However, as much as Quinn dreaded the inevitable day when the Queen regained her powers, she also looked forward to it for she knew only then would they finally be rid of this prison. She unconsciously fiddled with the gold band encasing her wrist, the handcuff binding her to this life. There was every chance that she would kill them as soon as she released them, but Quinn didn't care. At least then they'd be free.

"What would you have us do, my Queen?" she asked, slowly staggering to her feet, her head bowed subserviently.

The Queen scoffed, turning to stare at her wall of trapped animals. "I gave you one job. That was it. One job and you couldn't even do that properly. What makes you think you pathetic lot deserve another chance?"

Quinn stared at the ground, knowing that her silence was prudent, despite the thoughts running through her head. Like the Queen said, she didn't have a choice.

But Quinn also knew, neither did she.

"Tell me again what happened," the Queen demanded coarsely as she studied a particularly ugly rodent with matching beady eyes and a large frown on its face. The animal seemed to almost sigh with relief when the Queen walked away, dismissing its shivering form.

The three of them immediately rushed to recount the events leading up to their unexpected arrival back at the castle.

The Queen looked perplexed. "She's using her powers," she stated unhappily. "So at the moment she must be weak. It'll take her at least a few days before she's able to regain what little external power she has. We must strike now, as soon as possible."

Sue pulled a large black snake from its confines as it hissed at her menacingly, but the Queen shushed it with nothing more than a threatening glare. "And it is imperative that she _not _use her abilities again. You must find a way to subdue her. She's no use to me if her magics are all drained." She lifted her crooked dagger once more, slicing the snake cleanly down the middle before continuing, "And so here's what you idiots are going to do..."

.-.

Puck stalked out of the hotel suite, the door closing loudly behind him.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to rant and rage about the impossibility of it all. He wanted to run away and never look back but he found that he couldn't. So instead, he tiredly collapsed against the hallway wall, his head tilting back against it with a loud sigh.

_What the hell was he going to do?_

To say that he was scared shitless would be an understatement. His basic instincts when shit got heavy was to run and hide. Not literally. But normally, he'd just go off and do something self-destructive that would punish him for his past mistakes.

And he had made _so _many mistakes.

As much as his mind was screaming at him to leave, just turn down the hall and walk away, he knew he could never do that to Rachel. Running away was out of the question. He found himself drawn to her; he was filled with an overwhelming need to help her, save her, to protect her.

Truth was, he did understand why she had come, why she had risked everything just for the sake of her dream. These past few days, well, he'd never felt more alive. She made him feel… she made him _feel. _And the fact of the matter was, he liked her, and not just because she was a hot chick from among the stars.

No. He _cared_ about her. She made him _want to _change. And not even the lame, cheating way he had started off wanting. He thought he could just make a simple wish and have the life he always dreamed of. But now, he wanted to change himself. _For real. _

If she could risk so much just to live her dream and _become_ a star, then so could he.

He took a very deep breath and slowly let it out, stealing himself for the implications of what walking back into that room meant, trying to release all his fears in the process. He took a few moments to collect himself before he walked back inside.

He found the room pitch black but he could hear Rachel's muffled sniffles through the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Puck made his way over to the bed and crouched down in front of her. She stared up at him sadly, her tear filled eyes glinting in the soft moonlight filtering through a gap in the curtains.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered hoarsely, her lower lip trembling.

Puck smiled at her gently and nodded, his hand reaching to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. He lingered there momentarily, his hand tenderly stroking her silky soft hair.

"I didn't think you'd come back," she said shakily.

"Of course I would," he said softly, barely above a whisper, offering another small smile. "Crazy girl…"

She returned his smile, causing a single tear to slide down her cheek. She closed her eyes tightly, almost as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"I don't know why," she replied, her voice straining to remain steady. "With everything that's happened… it'd cause any sane person to run away and never look back. I wouldn't blame you if you did."

Puck chuckled, the deep timbre oh his laughter filling the darkness. "Well, maybe I'm a little crazy, too..."

She beamed up at him sadly and Puck felt like he was falling. It wasn't the terrified falling he had witnessed in his dreams or even in his worst nightmares as he flew through the air. No, it was something else entirely. Something extraordinary that he couldn't explain.

"Get some rest, Rachel," he replied lightly, his hand moving to give hers a gentle squeeze, but as he stood up and moved towards his own bed, he felt her hand enclose around his, tugging gently.

"Stay," she said. Her voice was soft yet held a hint of desperation, as if she thought he might disappear.

He gulped nervously and nodded before rounding the other side of the bed.

Silently, he removed his shoes and jeans, tugging off his shirt before slipping beneath the covers in nothing more than his boxers. He slowly slid closer to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist. She pressed her back against him, and Puck had to suppress the groan threatening to come out. She obviously had no idea what she was doing to him, shimming her body against his like that, but to him, it almost felt like torture.

He wanted nothing more than to roll her on her back and press himself closer to her, to savor every kiss, every touch, everything. But it wasn't the right time. Not right now. Too much had happened in the past two days and they both needed sleep. Sleep and time. They also needed to figure out this Unholy Trinity stuff first, and deal with this Sue-bitch. And then there was also Blaine.

He wasn't sure he was ready to start anything with her yet. But what he did know was, when he did, he was never going to let her go.

.-.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and to those who took the time review! I hope you're enjoying this so far!  
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	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Quick update this time. I thought I might as well since this fic is winding down. Only 4 more parts to go! I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think. I'm not above begging. lol. (Please, please, please ;P) **

.-.

Smoke billowed up from the large bonfire Blaine had set up in his backyard. He sat kneeling on the ground, his head bowed as he chanted.

His eyes were closed as he meditated, drawing power from all around him; the earth, the wind, the sky. In front of him sat a large ceramic bowl filled with herbs, spices and other ingredients he needed to complete the ritual, including a single unicorn hair which Kurt had gladly provided. The ingredients before him started to rise and began to dance around leisurely in the air, suspended by some unknown force, moving gently to sprinkle themselves over the flames.

The flames burst out suddenly, turning from bright orange to a dark green, all the while Blaine continued chanting. Kurt stood beside him, silently watching the ritual with a keen eye, waiting for something to happen.

As he chanted softly to himself, a light appeared out of nowhere, willing itself into existence. The light started off small, hovering inches from Blaine's face, but then it began to move, twirling around as it slowly grew larger and larger. It steadily became brighter as it grew, almost enough to blind any normal man, but Kurt and Blaine continued on, unfazed.

The light began to dissipate when it reached about the size of a small tree, fading to reveal a tall young man standing before them.

Blaine opened his eyes and smiled weakly, his mind and body drained as his powers slowly sapped away. He rose shakily to his feet and moved to embrace the new-comer into a friendly hug.

"It's good to see you, Blaine." The man said, as a large dimpled smile stretched across his face. But as Blaine pulled back and looked up into his old friend's face, he could see a hint of sadness lining his features.

"It's good to see you too, Finn," he replied, offering a small smile.

Finn nodded and turned to Kurt, patting his gleaming coat affectionately.

"How are you, Kurt?" he asked, staring imploringly into the unicorn's eyes.

Kurt tossed his mane slightly, the pearly-white strands fluttering gently in the wind – equivalent of a human shrug.

Finn laughed, enjoying the moment with his long-time friends before he addressed why he'd been summoned. He took a deep breath and sighed, steeling himself for what lay ahead.

"I suppose you've been watching," Blaine asked, getting straight to the matter at hand.

Finn nodded gravely. "I have. I need to hurry. There's not much time. Even now the Trinity are closing in on her, and her powers won't be enough to protect her. Not against another attack."

Blaine nodded in agreement. "Then we should hurry." He replied urgently, turning to prepare for another journey, but Finn placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder to stop.

"No," he interjected. "You need to stay here."

Blaine looked up at him confused, his brow furrowed. "Why? You're a star, too, Finn. Your powers won't be enough to fight off the Unholy Trinity."

Finn nodded sadly, but with a determined expression on his face. "I know, but I need you to prepare the spell for us to return as soon as possible. I might not be able to defeat them, but if I can get her out of there, then escape is a better option."

Blaine nodded slowly in understanding, taking in the plan. He should have expected that. The spell to return a star to the skies was a difficult one, taking painstaking hours to prepare. It was even longer than the summoning ritual and required a good deal more energy as well. The last time he had performed it, it had almost completely drained him of his powers. It took him almost a month to recover. Not that he minded helping out, anything to stop the evil witch queen. Besides, he knew Kurt would be there to help him.

Finn paused for moment, looking at Blaine hopefully before asking, "Unless you happen to have a Babylon candle?"

Blaine shook his head grimly. A Babylon candle _would_ make everything so much simpler, but they were extremely rare. In fact, in Blaine's long life, he couldn't recall ever seeing one.

Finn sighed, laughing softly to himself. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

He turned to Kurt and smiled, "Are you ready for another journey?" Kurt's head bobbed up and down in acquiescence, and Finn clumsily swung himself up on the unicorn's gleaming back, holding on tightly to its silver mane. "Okay, let's do this, Kurt."

Slowly, he guided Kurt's movements and began to move towards the neighboring forest; however, Blaine's concerned voice caused both of them to pause.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked, once again confused, staring into the dark, shadowy tree line. "New York City is northeast."

Finn turned his back slightly and nodded. "I know. But it's too late to get there in time. The Trinity has almost closed in on her. If I cut through the forest, I should get to the castle just in time. It's okay; they won't harm her before then. They need her alive."

Blaine nodded as Finn and Kurt turned, continuing on his way, struggling not to voice the one other concern he had about their mission. Finally, when Blaine couldn't contain himself any longer, calling out to Finn and causing them to stop again.

"And Finn," he said uncertainly, trying to gauge the best way to ask the question burning within him. "Do you know she's…?"

As Blaine's voice trailed off, the words lost in his throat, Finn seemed to understand.

"Yeah, I know…" he finally said, nodding slightly and letting Blaine know that it was okay. "I know. "

.-.

Rachel smiled contently as she lay in bed, her eyes wide open and staring at the rising sun peeking through the curtains. She remained as still as possible, relishing the feel of Noah's arms wrapped loosely around her as he slept.

She listened to his soft, rhythmic snoring, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. She wanted to remember this moment forever; to lock each touch, feeling and sound in her memory. She had never felt so safe before, even compared to floating hundreds of light years away in space. There was just something so comforting about Noah that made her feel... everything.

She yearned to turn over so she could study his features as he slept, but she guessed that could be construed as very weird if he were to wake up and catch her. She giggled at the thought, inadvertently causing the bed to shake from her laughter.

She heard Noah groan softly, snuggling her closer to his chest as he wavered between sleep and wakefulness. She smiled to herself, when... she felt something odd poking into her back, something hard… At that exact same moment, she felt Noah tense behind her.

Suddenly, Rachel felt the bed shift violently as he scrambled off of it, heading, straight for the bathroom. She turned her head just in time to see the door close behind him.

She stared at the door perplexed, wondering why he had left so quickly; it seemed like very odd behavior. She sighed and rolled over, tucking her hands beneath her head. Sometimes she didn't understand humans, let alone human males.

Noah had been acting strangely around her since their run-in with Will. At first she assumed he was merely freaked out by everything that was happening. He acted like it didn't faze him, but surely any normal man would have run out the door by now. She felt extremely guilty that she had gotten him caught up in all her drama, and yet she couldn't regret her decision to keep certain things from him.

He had proved to be more than anything she could have asked for in a guide and a friend – her first real friend. He had decided to stand by her through all the mayhem and she felt blessed to have found him.

No, she definitely didn't regret having Noah in her life.

She closed her eyes and lay there, listening to the sound of the shower running. It was probably time to get up now that Noah was up, too, but she didn't really know what to do with herself.

He stayed in the bathroom for a while, so long that Rachel got bored waiting for him to emerge. Instead, she got up and walked around the room, properly taking in its features for the first time. After quickly ordering some room service from a very helpful menu, she drew open the curtains and smiled at the sight before her.

They were on one of the top floors of the hotel, looking out at the city around them. This was her dream, and she was so close that she could almost taste it. She knew there was a lot to do, a lot to worry about; yet at that very moment, she found that she couldn't. For the first time in her life, she saw the endless opportunities in front of her. She would find a way to deal with Sue and the Trinity later; right now was for her.

A short while later, the bathroom door opened and Rachel turned with a smile to look at Noah, only to have her face fall in shock. He had a towel slung low on his hips as he stepped out, but that wasn't what drew her attention. All along his neck and chest were the dark bruises the Trinity had caused him. But as she looked closer she realized she was wrong. She tilted her head, scrutinizing each black and purple bruise, and some were more faded than others; they were older. The fresh ones contrasted darkly against the greenish-yellow bruises that had already begun to heal.

"Did-did I do that?" she asked, her voice shaking.

He glanced down and closed his eyes, muttering a low curse. "It's nothing," he said, shaking his head.

He immediately walked over to the side of the bed and quickly pulled his shirt over his head, trying to hide the bruising from view. She rushed over to his side and pulled up his shirt to closely examine his brutally marred body. Her hands reached out shakily, tracing the lines of each bruise. They covered his shoulder and chest, one even reaching around to his back like a nightmarish blemish against his tan skin.

"Rachel..." he said, grabbing her hands to stop her. His hand reached up and tilted her chin towards his face. "It's okay. They don't even hurt."

She narrowed her eyes shrewdly, before poking him in the chest with her finger tip, causing him to wince and pull away slightly. "Don't lie to me, Puckerman," she bit out angrily, tears stinging her eyes. "I don't like being lied to."

He sighed and reclaimed her hand in his. "I'm telling you the truth. It's okay. Just some battle scars." A teasing smirk grew on his face as he looked down at her. "I saved your life, you know."

"This isn't funny, Noah!" she said, trying to push against him stubbornly, but he held her steady.

"I know," he replied, his tone suddenly serious, and Rachel looked up once more to meet his gaze.

She felt her breath leave her as they stared at each other. She bit her lip nervously and his eyes fluttered downwards at the movement, staring. She could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest. Something wonderful was about to happen. She could feel it, and suddenly all thought flew out of her mind. Her head inched closer to his, her feet arching up on her toes in impatience as she instinctively closed her eyes, preparing to savor every second when...

"Room service!" A man called, knocking loudly on the door.

Rachel's eyes snapped open, and from the dazed look in Noah's eyes, he had been as equally surprised as she was. They continued looking at each other for another moment before the impatient knock sounded again.

"Yeah, coming!" Noah finally replied, his voice slightly hoarse. He took a step back, their eyes connecting for a few seconds longer before he looked away. He distractedly fished a couple of dollars out of his wallet and headed for the door.

Rachel's hand reached up to cup her cheeks, her face flushed and hot. She honestly had no idea what to do with the torrent of emotions swirling inside her. So how did she respond?

She ran. Well, walked.

She swiftly headed towards the bathroom and locked the door behind her, leaning up against the counter as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her heart was still pounding fast and hard in her chest, and all she could feel was the ghost of Noah's hands on hers. She looked down at her hands, now glowing richly in front of her eyes. Every fiber of her being felt like it was vibrating. Even as the shine began to fade, her body continued humming, more alive than ever before.

It was all too much. How could anybody possibly feel so much in matter of mere seconds? It felt both wonderful and terrifying at the same time.

She heard Noah knock lightly at the door and tell her she could shower before they ate. "The... er... food's not going anywhere."

She found herself grateful for the temporary reprieve; she needed the time to collect her thoughts. As she prepared to take her shower, she thought about everything that had happened in the past few days. She had been on an emotional rollercoaster, she had encountered numerous setbacks along her journey, but nothing, not even the threat of imminent death, had affected her like standing silently in a room with Noah had, their hands entwined together as an unseen spark of electricity passed between them. She wondered if the feelings inside her were the ones she'd heard tell about in all those Broadway shows, where a simple touch could speak a thousand words. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be falling in love.

.-.

Puck stared at the door Rachel had disappeared behind, cursing himself for almost kissing her. What had he been thinking? She was probably hiding from him, horrified that he'd crossed the invisible line between them. They were just friends – kind of – on a journey together. He didn't need whatever messed up ideas floating around in his head were telling him.

There was the "old Puck" inside him, the "Puck" he used to be, screaming at him for being such a pussy, for not going to her and kissing her with all the fire and passion she inspired inside – but then there was the other "Puck." The "Puck" that had suddenly emerged out of nowhere and did shit like take on knife-wielding mad men and crazy cheerleaders hell-bent on kidnapping Rachel and sacrificing her to their Queen; the one she liked to call "Noah".

And Noah? Had no fucking clue what he was doing.

She had just arrived here, all naïve and willing to learn. She probably had no idea how he felt when she was with him, had no idea what it felt like to... _To what_? He asked himself as he pushed the small food trolley further into the room. His head felt like a mixed jumble of thoughts, each even less coherent than the last.

He sighed and walked over to the bathroom door, telling her to take her time before returning to the food. He was glad she had decided to take her time; he needed time to think.

He lifted the sterling silver tray cover to find an assortment of breakfast foods in front of him: eggs, sausages, pancakes, fruits, and, of course, his waffles. He smiled to himself. She already knew what he liked.

He ate while he waited for her to emerge, fully dressed and her hair twisted into a knot at the back of her head. They were both wearing the same clothes they had been wearing for the past few days; the only clothes he owned since his duffel bag was probably somewhere in Cleveland right now. He made a mental note to go shopping later. They probably didn't have a Wal-Mart in NYC, but he was sure they could find something suitable.

She walked over and sat beside him before gingerly picking a strawberry from a bowl of assorted fruits. She smiled as she brought it to her lips, humming at the sweet taste. Puck laughed, pushing aside the thoughts of how great it would be to taste strawberries on _her_ lips.

"So, er," he began as they ate, struggling to decide what to say. "I figured we should start looking for an apartment today. As great as it is in this hotel, we shouldn't blow too much money staying here."

She looked at him contemplatively and nodded. "Sounds good, but how long will that take? I really wanted to get started today!" Her face lit up with excitement. "There are probably thousands of aspiring performers out there on the streets of Manhattan, waiting for their chance to shine, and as they say, the early bird catches the worm. I don't really want to waste any time. What if the perfect part is out there for me _today_ and I miss it because of such trivial things like where we should live?"

Puck raised his eyebrows in amusement, wanting to laugh at her skewed priorities. Whatever awkwardness she might have felt earlier was obviously gone; she was ready and willing to jump into the race for Broadway stardom.

He nodded and smirked at her. "Okay," he said slowly, thinking it over. "I guess a couple more days living here couldn't hurt, but we can't stay here forever." Rachel clapped her hands together giddily. "And we definitely can't be walking around in the same clothes as we have for the past few days. So as much as I want to help you get started, we should probably hit up a few stores first."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement, her expression determined. "That sounds reasonable, but only for a short while. I have a lot of work to do! There's no rest for the wicked. Oh! _Wicked_! Do you think anyone will be recasting that masterpiece anytime soon? I think I'd be a perfect Elphaba."

"Elf-a-who?" Puck asked, his brow creasing as he laughed.

"You've never heard of it? It's–"

Puck chuckled as he lifted his hand and covered her mouth. "I'm sure it's great, and you can tell me all about it while we're shopping, but first you gotta eat. The faster you eat, the faster we can get out of here, _and_ the faster you'll get to be an Elf. You sure are short enough for one."

Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. "Elphaba is a girl. A witch, in fact." Her eyes darkened slightly at the mention of witches, but the moment was quickly replaced by her bright smile. "Anyway..."

Puck smiled as she began chatting merrily. Today was sure to be a long day, but as he watched her talk and dig into her breakfast, he found that he really didn't mind. It was good to see her back to her enthusiastic and talkative self again.

He pushed the thoughts of witches and the Unholy Trinity away. He knew they were an ever-looming threat, but as he watched her unrestrained excitement, he found he couldn't bear to burst her bubble. At least, not yet. He would give it a day, one single day, before he needed to figure out what to do with this shit. He'd give her _this_ day.


	11. Chapter 11

.-.

It was only ten in the morning but Puck felt exhausted. They had walked around the city for about an hour, Rachel pulling him in every direction, and then he had been forced to stand there while she paraded a line of clothes in front of him. And okay, maybe forced was little harsh, because he kind of liked seeing all the different clothes on her, but that was probably because she looked hot in everything she tried on. There were a couple of numbers that brought memories of that morning and his embarrassing case of morning wood right to the forefront of his memory.

He had been easy to find clothes for. All he needed was a couple of shirts and jeans and he was good, but Rachel tried on everything from summer dresses to tank tops and short shorts. There was this one dress, bright yellow and perfect, and it seemed to genuinely make her shine, even without the help of her naturally ability. She had done this little twirl when she'd first tried it on and it made him half-hard just looking at her. _How could someone so short have such long legs? _

Thankfully, they were about to take a break. They walked into a small cafe on their way back to the hotel, and Puck collapsed at the nearest available table, dropping the load of bags he'd been carrying around for Rachel. The word "whirlwind" was an understatement for this girl. She took on every task and challenge with more enthusiasm than he had ever felt towards anything in his life.

He searched around the café, and a cute, young Asian girl around their age walked over, notepad at the ready.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" she asked with a kind smile. It was different from what Puck had expected. Most of the people in the city so far, at least the retail workers, had been either bored or annoyed, or both. It was almost funny how Rachel responded to this girl's polite and inviting attitude.

"What would you recommend for a person who doesn't eat animals?" she asked.

The girl's eyebrow arched questioningly. "Well, we have a very good range of both vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. I personally recommend the tofu scramble. My boyfriend's the chef, and he makes a mean one. It's an old family recipe that he's tweaked here and there."

Rachel looked at her in confusion, and he could see her about to ask what the hell she was talking about. Okay, maybe not in so many words, but Puck figured that the girl wasn't up for explaining the difference between vegans and vegetarians.

"That sounds fine," Puck interjected when Rachel opened her mouth, giving her a glance to tell her that he'd explain later. "I'll have a coffee and a chocolate chip muffin."

The girl smiled at them both while she took down the order before she turned and left.

Puck almost laughed as Rachel opened her mouth to ask him a tirade of questions. He honestly didn't mind answering them as they waited for their food to arrive.

Rachel grinned up at him once he was done. "I think I'm a vegan then," she concluded. "I don't really know what chicks are, or milk or yo-hurt, but it seems hardly fair to simply take these things from animals without their consent. No, unless I could personally ask their opinions in the matter, then I shan't partake in this particular human custom. It just doesn't feel right."

Puck shook his head, amused. "It's not really like that, but, you know, whatever floats your boat," he shrugged.

"Wait," Rachel paused, her head tilting in confusion again. "What boat? There's a boat as well?"

He roared with laughter as she looked at him, bewildered. He found that he quite enjoyed explaining things to her. Her innocence as she learned about the world both awed and amused him. It was definitely different looking at the world through her eyes, maybe because she'd never really seen it before.

"So how do I get onto Broadway?" she asked Puck, waiting expectantly for the answer, like he had _all _the answers.

Now this was a question Puck had been mulling over all day.

Puck knew how to do many things. He knew how to play the guitar and the piano. He even knew how to play the accordion, which was no simple feat. He could disassemble and reassemble a pool filter in five minutes flat and he knew the engine of his truck like the back of his hand, but getting onto Broadway? Well, that wasn't exactly his area of expertise.

He was saved from answering the question when their waitress walked over with their food. She distributed the plates on their table, and then said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you asking about Broadway. Are you an aspiring actress?"

Rachel beamed up at the girl like she had made a new best friend and nodded eagerly. "Yes, do you know how?"

The girl laughed and shook her head. "Well, technically yes, but my success rate hasn't exactly been stellar. As a beginner, the best place to start is the probably by finding an agent. The best one in the city is probably Lauren Zizes. She's a bit of a bitch and she's brutal but she's _good_. If you can get an appointment, that is. She usually ignores you until you make an impression. Here," the girl said, pulling out a newspaper from her apron pocket. "If you want to get anyone's attention and see what it's all about, maybe you should go to a few open calls."

"Oh, thank you so much, um..." Rachel exclaimed excitedly as she introduced herself, trailing off as she realized she hadn't learned the waitress' name.

The girl smiled. "Tina," she supplied helpfully.

"Tina," Rachel replied, smiling back. "It was so nice to meet you, Tina. Thanks for your wonderful advice, but don't you need this for yourself?" she asked, holding out the newspaper.

"No problem," she replied shaking her head. "But all the auditions today aren't really suitable. A lot of brunettes and blondes. It's harder, you know, being Asian; you don't get noticed as much."

Rachel frowned. "That doesn't seem right."

Tina sighed. "It's just the way this town works. Anyway, I better get back to work. Good luck with everything."

Puck took in Tina's words and wondered. Sure, he knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he'd really hate to see Rachel fail. It just didn't seem right, especially with all she'd gone through to get here. He was a little worried with how she would take this, but when he turned his head to look at her, her face was full of enthusiasm.

Her smile stretched widely across her eager face. "This is going to wonderful, Noah. I can feel it!"

.-.

Rachel felt horrible. She was already on the verge of tears, the stress and disappointment of the day finally getting to her.

They had gone to four open casting calls, all of which told her she "didn't have the right look." It seemed ridiculous that a city bursting with talent seemed so focused on "the right look." Shouldn't the ability and _capabilities _of a performer be more important that the mere physical appearance of a person? She watched as those simple minded fools simpered at the meager squawking of a bottle blonde bimbo that she could literally sing into the ground, while they barely even glanced up from the infernal devices in their hands when it was her turn.

Rachel realized that that wasn't the worst of it when she had finally managed to make it into Lauren Zizes' office. She had stood badgering her secretary for almost two hours, unwilling to miss such an important opportunity, before the disgruntled old lady finally broke down. But to say Ms. Zizes had been brutal was an understatement.

She had yelled at Rachel for almost twenty minutes for wasting her time, reprimanding her for not having a resume or any experience.

"How am I supposed to represent someone with no official training, who doesn't even carry a headshot?" she had yelled loudly, probably loud enough for the whole world to hear.

Rachel had felt like a fraud. This _wasn't _what she had dreamed New York City to be like.

"Blaine's right," she said as she cried into Puck's shoulder, her words muffled as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, tears falling to stain his shirt. "I shouldn't have come here. It's hopeless. I can't do this! I should just go back and forget this ever happened!"

"Yeah, you're right," Puck replied sarcastically, and Rachel pushed him away indignantly, glaring down her nose at him. The only thing stopping her from slapping him right now were the soothing circular patterns he was rubbing up and down her back.

He frowned at her and gave her a pointed look before continuing seriously, "Come on, Rachel, don't talk crap." He pulled her forward and moved his head to rest against her temple.

"I'm serious, Noah..." she began, hiccupping slightly.

"And so am I," he pulled back to look her straight in the eye. "Rachel, you knew this was gonna be hard. You think that just because one person–"

"Five!" Rachel tried to correct him.

"– didn't like the way you sang or the way you look, that you should give up? Do you think that Barbra chick you've been going on about non-stop gave up after only one day?" he asked incredulously. "No. She didn't," he said firmly, answering his own question. "And neither will you. I'm not gonna let you give up just because you had a bad day. You're not a Lima Loser, and you never will be!"

Rachel looked at him confused, and Noah's eyes shifted around awkwardly. "What are you –?"

"Nothing." He interrupted quickly. "Come on." He pulled her along by the arm, racing to some unknown destination.

She mulled over his words in her head, wondering what it all meant. _Whoever said she was a loser?_ she wondered a little indignantly. She also wondered if, perhaps, Noah wasn't talking to her; well maybe not _only _talking to her.

"What in the world...?" she asked, as he pulled her down a mostly empty street and through a back alley way. "Noah, where are you taking me? This is highly suspicious behavior… "

He shushed her and bent down at the back door to a small, run-down old building.

"Noah, what are you doing?" she asked nervously as he fiddled with the lock.

"Something I picked up in juvie." He answered with a smirk.

_What? Juvie?_ She was about to ask again when the door popped open and he grinned from his apparent success.

"After you," he said, pushing her through the door.

Rachel stumbled through, bewildered. "What are we doing here, Noah?" she asked, stamping her foot in impatience. She didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"Just calm down, will ya," he replied calmly. "Have I ever steered you wrong?"

Rachel frowned half-heartedly. "No, I guess not." He left her and stumbled around in the dark for a while, obviously looking for something, but her tolerance was wearing thin. "Noah, I'm tired. I just want to go back to the hotel –"

Suddenly the lights flickered on around her, and Rachel walked in awe towards the open stage. It was amazing. She could see everything from her position. There were rows and rows of empty seats, leading all the way to the back, and also not one, but two, balconies, filled with seats. There was a thick layer of dust coating the floor, and there was slight musty quality in the air. There were piles of furniture around the stage, some covered with large white sheets as well as tools and buckets of paint strewn everywhere. The theatre looked like no one had been inside for a very long time, but Rachel didn't care.

"How did you –?" she asked when Noah appeared on stage. She couldn't take her eyes off her surroundings. She found herself spinning around to try and capture everything within her mind.

He shrugged. "I scouted around while you were auditioning. I'm pretty sure this place is mostly abandoned, but I thought it'd give you a taste what to expect."

"What?" she turned to him, a small enraptured smile on her face.

"Well, I don't know how long this whole auditioning thing is gonna take. I mean, you're a pretty persistent girl, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were doing this for real in, like, a week, but we can just call this a preview. So what do you think, Rachel? Are you ready to make your theatre debut?"

She beamed at him and nodded eagerly. He grinned back at her before leaping off the stage and taking a seat in the center of the front row. Noah whooped and clapped as she took center stage.

"I'll be singing, 'On My Own', from the seminal Broadway classic, _Les Mis_."

Rachel closed her eyes and imagined the theatre to be completely filled, a quiet hush falling over the crowd. She opened her mouth and sang, letting the lyrics, the melody and the emotions that this song inspired washing over her. She had always imagined a faceless someone when she sang this song, but right now, she could see Noah clear as day as she sang. She wondered if he heard her. _Really _heard her.

When she let the last note hang heavily in the air, resonating throughout the theatre, she finally opened her eyes, meeting his surprised gaze for the first time.

He looked at her in astonishment for a moment before he started clapping and cheering for her once more. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck as she did a small curtsy. She watched as he hoisted himself up on stage, biting her lip nervously as he approached.

"Woah." He said, speechless. "I mean, _woah!_ I knew you said you could sing, but _you can really sing!_" He smiled encouragingly. "I can't believe those idiots turned you down. You completely blew me away. I don't know why you're even bothering. You're already a fucking star!" She smiled, ducking her head shyly. For once in her long life, she was completely speechless. She could feel her cheeks heating up once more; the rapid thumping in her chest echoing in her ears. "Hey..." he said, tucking his finger under her chin and tilting her head upwards.

Her breath caught in her throat as she waited in anticipation. This time her eyes remained open as his head lowered to meet her, everything moving in slow motion. It wasn't until the very last moment that his face was mere seconds from hers that she allowed her eyes to flutter close. His lips grazed against hers, an entirely different kind of warmth spreading from the touch and moving rapidly throughout her entire body. Her body seemed to tingle with excitement. He pulled back slightly, his hands moving to cup her face. He looked at her imploringly, silently seeking permission. A small smile graced her lips, and whatever apprehension Noah seemed to be feeling melted away.

His face leaned forward again, quicker this time, and Rachel prepared herself to sink into the kiss when suddenly a loud bang sounded around them. Then the steady clapping of a single person filled the air.

Rachel's body jumped at the sound, and they both turned to see Quinn walking down the large center aisle, her hands pounding together, mockingly.

"Aw, how sweet," she remarked in a sickeningly cheery voice, before her face hardened in a brute glare and she continued coldly. "Not."

In an instant, she was on the stage in front of them. Noah moved protectively between the two, but Quinn merely laughed at the thought. With a flick of her wrist, Noah went toppling backwards, landing harshly on a long forgotten scaffold stand.

Rachel screamed out his name as his back hit the metal bars with a loud thud, his body slumping down as he lay unconscious. She began to run towards him, but Quinn held out her hand threateningly.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

"I don't care what you do!" Rachel retorted angrily.

Quinn pushed both hands out towards Rachel, her palms facing outwards. A pulse of energy shot from her hands and pushed Rachel backwards. Somehow, she managed to remain on her feet, only stumbling slightly. When she tried to run forward again, she found her path blocked by another invisible barrier, but this time there were no bright sparks of electricity; it was just her fighting against a wall of nothing but air.

"Leave us alone!" she pleaded with the leader of the Trinity, but Quinn simply sneered in response. "Please, just let us go!"

"Now why would I do that?" she asked, though she took no pleasure in their pain. "When all I need is right here in front of me? And I see Blaine isn't coming to the rescue this time."

Rachel began glowing brightly, trying to summon the energy to escape once again, but her powers fell short. She was simply too drained from the previous day to repeat their miraculous escape.

She heard Noah groan, sitting up in a daze and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Noah!" she cried again, thankful that he was alright. At least for now.

With a snap of her fingers, Quinn instantly summoned Brittany and Santana to his side, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"Rachel?" he asked confused, looking around as Brittany and Santana stared into his eyes, their bodies pressing against his as they literally began crawling up his chest. "What's going on...?"

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked directing her to Quinn.

Quinn smile was as menacing as ever. "Men, they're so predictable, don't you think?" she asked rhetorically.

Noah shook his head, blinking his eyes as if he was trying to wake up. "Rachel..?" he asked again, turning his head towards her, but Santana gripped his chin and wordlessly commanded him to face her once again. He was forced to look into her eyes, his gaze transfixed, as Rachel watched on in horror.

"Stop it!" Rachel shouted, pounding against the invisible wall. "Whatever you're doing just leave him out of it!"

The Unholy Trinity all laughed mercilessly, and only then did Noah seem to snap out of his daze. He struggled fruitlessly against Brittany and Santana's hold on him, but they just continued to smile, looking up at him seductively through their long eyelashes, coy smiles gracing their lips.

"Oh, he's a fighter this one," Quinn quipped as she watched the scene in front of them. "It's been centuries since anyone's been able to resist Santana's charm." The Latina threw Quinn a dirty look before turning back to the task at hand, but Quinn ignored it.

"Tell me Rachel," she asked, her tone light with pleasure, as if they were having just any ordinary conversation. "Have you ever heard what happens when a man is kissed by one of the Unholy Trinity?"

Rachel shook her head in horror. Actually, she hadn't heard. She had no idea what would happen, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, it couldn't be anything good.

"Don't... " she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please... don't!"

"They die." Quinn's lip twitched in amusement, her head tilting to the side as she silently gave the command to Santana. "A slow and painful death."

"No, stop!" Rachel screamed, her head shaking vigorously. "Noah!"

She shouted with all her might as she watched, completely helpless, as Santana's face approached Noah's. For a moment, it seemed like all was lost. He seemed to have given in. He stared, bewitched, his eyes wide and pupil dilated. He moved his head in compliance to some unheard command, his face inching forward, when suddenly he snapped out of it.

He looked around stunned, the sound of her desperate shrieking waking him up. He stared in horror at Santana's face, seconds away from his, before he began furiously struggling as hard as he could against the weight of her and Brittany as they held him still.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he yelled, fear evident in his voice. Without thinking, he spat in the girl's ever nearing face and she recoiled in disgust.

In an instant, Santana had him around the throat, squeezing hard on his neck, already marred with bruises. "You're gonna pay for that, you hijo de puta!" she shouted, wiping the saliva off her cheek angrily.

"Enough!" Quinn commanded loudly. Both Brittany and Santana looked at her in surprise. "We can deal with him back at the castle. Just knock him out and we'll deal with him later." She then turned to Rachel, and glared. She moved forward through the invisible barrier and grabbed Rachel around the wrist, while Santana threw a threatening blow at Noah. He slumped forward once more, his completely limp form hanging lifelessly in the girls' arms. "Now, you're coming with us. And you better not fight us, otherwise we'll drop him off a bridge along the way."

They were off like a bullet, running at break neck speed as Rachel stared helplessly at Noah's unconscious form. This was all her fault. She should have just let him leave when he had the chance. She should have demanded he leave her alone. She should have told him she didn't want him there; anything to keep him from their clutches.

She had foolishly ignored the impending threat of the Trinity, even after they had come after her and wreaked havoc in a crowded street. She had desperately believed she could simply be a normal girl.

All because she was selfish. She always had been. She wanted it all. Him. Broadway. Everything. And now she had to pay the unbearable price.


	12. Chapter 12

.-.

For Quinn, it felt like the journey back to the castle took no time at all, or perhaps she was just eager to return with her prize. It would be so easy from here on out. She had the star and soon they would have their freedom. It was all they had dreamed about since the beginning of their imprisonment. She fiddled with the tight gold band around her wrist, its weight feeling as heavy as ever. She knew it would be gone soon and that this would have all been worth it, but as far as Quinn was concerned, it wasn't soon enough.

They came to a halting stop inside the large fortress directly in from of Sue. She stood there with a sinister wide grin worsened by her distorted facial features.

The three girls instantly bowed down on one knee and greeted their master. Quinn looked up at her Queen, but she didn't meet her gaze. She only had eyes for the star.

"Welcome," she said with a cruel grin, ignoring the rest. Rachel cowered, struggling against Quinn's tight grip on her wrist.

"You leave us alone!" Rachel yelled indignantly, stamping her foot. "You despicable old hag! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

The Queen cackled with laughter over Rachel's tirade, the raucous sound reverberating throughout the large room, so terrifying that even the chandelier seemed to quake with fear.

"Quinn," the Queen said, as Rachel continued her pointless struggle, yelling a string of obscenities towards the Queen. She waved her hand and suddenly Rachel's mouth was snapped shut as if her lips had been sewn together, but that didn't stop the ever-determined star. She mumbled as loudly as possible and fought as fervently as ever, but the Queen simply ignored her. "Take whatever you have there to the dungeons. Dispose of it if you will. Just leave me with the star."

Quinn shook her head angrily. "No, we had a deal," she said pointedly holding out her wrist.

Sue laughed again. "And you failed me."

Quinn's eyes flashed red and she advanced on the Queen, ready to use all her might to take her down. Suddenly, a painful jolt coursed through her body, starting from the prominent band around her wrist travelling up her arms. At first, she tried her hardest to push through the pain, but as she swung forward with all her might, the cuff stopped her mid-swing, her hand suspended in mid-air. When she could no longer fight the jarring pain, she collapsed to the floor cradling her scalded arm.

Sue's cold eyes turned towards Quinn. "Are you quite done?" she demanded impatiently.

"We had a deal." Quinn said through gritted teeth, unwilling to let the Queen see just how much pain she was in.

"Relax," the Queen said dismissively. "You'll have your freedom once the ritual is done. I can't very well give up my greatest asset when I still haven't achieved victory, can I? Do you think I'm stupid? You could be poised to attack me while I'm in my weakened state." The Queen laughed at the absurdity of that idea, before turning back to her star. "Now go, before I change my mind."

Quinn growled at the Queen before nodding at Santana and Brittany. Together, they hauled away the still unconscious body of the soon-to-be dead guy. Just as they reached the stairway down to the dungeons, Sue's gleeful voice rang out again.

"Oh, and deal with our unwanted visitor, will you? Then I'll grant you your much beloved freedom."

.-.

Finn tried to creep through the castle as best he could, hugging the walls and trying to remain out of sight. It was difficult for him; it would be difficult for any person his size. In his human form, Finn was unusually tall, especially for a human, earning him a nickname among the stars as "Frankenteen". It was just a good thing that he had barely spent any time as a human before. He didn't like his cumbersome build, the awkward shuffle of his large feet, and his lanky arms which seemed to dangle like large tree branches, easily bumping into things as he walked.

The castle was mostly dark, save for the main hall. He could see a faint glow emanating from the large archway, serving as a connecting pathway from the hall to the foyer.

Even though he had never been there before, Finn felt like he knew these walls even better than the back of his hands, which was technically true since he'd spent so little time as a human. But he had spent many years watching over this place, waiting.

He stopped as he approached a well-lit staircase. He could hear the rumblings of Sue as she pretended to make easy conversation with her captive from the hallway while the loud screams of Rachel's new friend drifted upwards. From his position, he was able to peek around the corner. He saw Rachel, bound and gagged on the floor as she struggled against her bonds. Everything inside him wanted to go help her, to tear through the room and protect her against the so-called Queen, but he couldn't; not yet. He needed help first, help that he wasn't entirely sure he was going to get, but he had to try.

He tried tiptoeing across the entrance way, straining to remain as quiet as possible as he walked, helped by the thick layer of dust muffling his oafish movements. It was lucky for him that Sue's loud monologue coupled with the screaming coming up the spiraling staircase had drowned out the sound of his footsteps. He had never been the lightest person on his feet. As he descended towards the delighted cackles of the Trinity, his brow furrowed in concentration as he listened to their tortuous musing.

"Are you having fun now?" Santana asked, an evil lilt to her voice. "Don't you wanna touch, big boy? I think you do…"

As stealthily as he could, Finn looked through the stone door way. He saw Santana, her pinky fingers linked with Brittany's as they both leaned closely to the squirming Puck as he tried to get away from their forms invading his personal space, but Quinn was nowhere to be seen. The boy already had several long gashes along his torso, and dark bruises covered his chest, shoulders and neck. His cheek was also red and swollen from whatever infliction the girls had caused, and yet he still struggled against his binds.

Finn had to give it to this one; he sure didn't give up. He watched as Puck swore loudly at Santana, spitting the words angrily at her face.

Slowly, both girls stood up, and Finn could just picture the identical taunting smiles gracing their lips. Santana waved her hands and Puck's mouth snapped shut, magically gagging him, approaching ever closer as she moved her face in for a kiss; a kiss of death.

Finn knew he had to act quickly. With no real plan in mind, he stepped out from the darkness, ready to confront the girls when suddenly, a well-aimed kick landed at center of his back, sending him flying forward. He stumbled as he hit the far wall, bracing himself against it as he staggered to keep his footing. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

He turned to face Quinn as she glowered at him darkly. He tried to open his mouth to speak but Quinn instantly cut him off, magically silencing his voice as his mouth flapped soundlessly.

"Shut up," she commanded. "You don't deserve to speak."

Finn closed his eyes, summoning enough power to break Quinn's spell on him. "No," he voiced clearly, causing her angry glare to intensify. "Quinn..."

"Shut up!" she shouted again. This time he could feel a vice like grip around his throat, forcing his voice to disappear, but once again he fought off her attack.

"No!" he said again, this time more forcefully. "I will not."

Her eyes flashed with rage. Within a split, second she was physically at his throat, strangling him, with her fingers squeezing tightly. He struggled against her firm hold, but he still managed choke out his speech.

"Quinn – you – don't – have – to – do – this!" he said, his words disjointed.

She laughed at him. "Yes, I do." She swung his body upwards as he hit the ceiling, before falling with a heavy thump to the floor.

He slowly clambered to his feet again.

"You can hurt me all you want Quinn. It won't change a thing," he said, surprisingly calm. She growled again, springing forward and landing blow after blow at him. She yelled in frustration as time and time again, his wounds healed instantly. He just stood there, waiting until she tired herself out, watching as her hands slowly turned bloody from the impact.

"Quinn, stop!" came a small voice, and Brittany was suddenly separating them, barring Quinn from continuing her assault.

"Get out of the way, Britt," she said, her voice snarled.

"No!" It was rare for Brittany to stand up to her friends, choosing to stand back and let them make the decisions, but she wasn't as heartless as one might think. She may not have cared about other people's lives, especially not the star in front of her, but she cared about her friends, and she could tell how shaken her old friend was at that very moment.

Finn stumbled to his feet again, and watched as Quinn's hands took time to heal, Brittany trying to remain between them. "It's okay, Brittany," he said, steeling himself for whatever else Quinn had simmering inside her. "Let her go."

Quinn's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "You think I won't kill you?" she asked, daring him to answer.

Finn shook his head. "No, I think you want to kill me with every fiber of your soul, or rather what's left of it, but this isn't you Quinn. This isn't who you want to be."

Her eyes glinted red as she launched herself at him once more, but as her arm swung forward, it stopped short of connecting with his face. She stood still staring into his boyish face, her already healing hand poised in mid-air.

"You don't know anything," she barked, lowering her hand before turning and walking away.

"Yes, I do," he insisted, his own bruises already gone. He turned towards the guy struggling on the floor as he stared at them in a daze, his mouth still bound shut, effectively silencing him. It was obvious he didn't understand what was happening, but he seemed to be using this chance to work harder at escaping. "Let him go. Help me save her."

Quinn laughed and half-turned to look at him. "And why would I do that?" she asked in a mocking tone.

Finn's gaze turned to meet hers and he looked at her sadly. "Because you've done it before."

She growled again, moving quickly to grab him around the throat again. "And look where it got me. Look where it got my friends. Letting you go cost me my life. My freedom. I _won't _let this opportunity slip through my fingers. You were a fool to think you could just waltz in here and change all the rules." A triumphant grin graced her lips. "Girls, it looks like we have another star for the Queen." She announced, her hand tightening around his throat once more.

"You – know – that – won't – work." Finn struggled out. "You – know – I'm – use – less – to – her. And – you – know – why."

Quinn shrugged and swung her free hand around, delivering a harsh knock-out blow to side of Finn's head. "I told you to shut up."

.-.

Rachel watched helplessly as the Queen worked around her, cursing herself for being so foolish. She desperately needed to make sure Noah was okay. She had been forced to endure hearing his screams from below, but not too long ago, all had fallen ominously silent. She cried at the thought of him being hurt, or worse, dead. This was all her fault. Her selfishness had led them here.

She struggled silently against her bonds, her own mouth still magically bound shut.

"Don't worry," Sue said, looking down at her, mistaking Rachel's tears. "It'll be over quickly, and the process is relatively harmless." She cackled merrily, before lowering her face to Rachel's level. "I lie. It's going to be very, very painful. Excruciatingly painful. So painful, in fact, you'll wish you were already dead."

Her evil laughter continued to fill the large hall, and Rachel could to nothing but whimper from her place on the floor. She tried to summon as much power as she could muster, but Sue easily quashed her attempts. "Look," she had said, angrily. "If you continue to waste my power like that, I'll have them kill him right in front of your eyes. Or better yet, how about a kiss?"

She had fallen silent after that, desperately trying to think of a way to escape as she searched for the right opportunity. Rachel turned her head towards a commotion coming up from the dungeons, and she held her breath as the Unholy Trinity soon emerged, carrying a struggling Noah and a sluggish...

_Finn? _

She tried to voice her surprise, but the magical gag Sue had bestowed upon her effectively muted out any of her concerns.

"Ah, it looks like you've given our guest the appropriate welcome." Sue said with a wide grin, baring her crooked grin. "And you..." she turned to look Noah in the eye. "It was foolish of you to think that you could steal _my_ star like this. I should kill you where you stand."

She turned to look at Rachel, taunting her. "What do you think, my star?" she snarled, before commanding in an equally harsh tone, "Speak!"

"Don't!" Rachel gasped out from her position on the floor, her voice suddenly returning as tears streamed down her face. "Please don't. He has nothing to do with this. He was just an innocent bystander."

Sue laughed cruelly. "Who was trying to steal my star! Tell me, star, if he was just an 'innocent bystander,' as you say, then you won't mind if I destroy him. Maybe that'll finally get you to give up."

"No!" Rachel protested. "He means nothing to me!" She could feel the tears running down her face, as Noah's struggling paused. "He means nothing! Just let him go! Just let them all go!"

Sue's face darkened. "Now why would I do that? You're not exactly in a bargaining position here."

Rachel sobbed loudly. "Just let them all go, and I'll grant it to you willingly." At her words, Finn who had now recovered, pulled himself forward against Santana and Brittany's hold, trying to voice his objection.

Sue snorted in distaste. "What difference will that make? I already have you in my grasp."

"You and I both know my magics are ten times more potent if given willingly."

"So?" Sue said, shrugging her shoulders. "I will have power no matter what."

"For how long?" Rachel retorted. "Three, maybe, four hundred years?"

"It's longer than you'll ever have!" Sue yelled angrily, growing frustrated with the conversation.

"True. But then you'll be powerless again, locked in this fortress until another star falls from the heavens. And who knows how long that will take." Rachel reasoned. "But if I give my power willingly, then you will finally achieve what you've always wanted: true immortality. Your magics will never run out," she finished, her voice slow and even.

Sue eyed her calculatingly, mulling over the offer in her mind. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath. Only Finn struggled in protestation, knowing the full extent of Rachel's bargain and the unacceptable repercussions.

But Rachel didn't care, her gaze shifted and she stared apologetically into Noah's eyes. She tried to convey in that one look all her sorrow and regret for letting this happen. If she hadn't been so selfish, if she had taken the threat of the Unholy Trinity seriously, if she hadn't come here in the first place, then none of this would have ever happened. Noah would have lived his life as a normal guy, unhindered by the troubles of the magical world.

He shook her head at her, pleading her with his eyes, but Rachel couldn't let anything happen to him. That was her promise. And if she had to sacrifice herself, then she would do it. She would do it for him.

"Deal!" Sue shouted grandly, cutting through the silence. Rachel jumped at her words, almost forgetting why she was there. For a moment, it seemed like the rest of the world had disappeared, and all that remained in it was her and Noah.

She closed her eyes as Sue waved her hand. A loud clanking of metal against stone sounded from the Trinity, and they each looked at their bare wrists stunned, their gold binds laying desolately on the floor.

"No! Rachel!" Noah yelled, running towards her, his voice now returned as Sue relinquished the Trinity's hold on him.

She reached out towards him, but as their fingertips grazed, Sue waved her hand again. The five of them suddenly flew towards the castle doors, the hard-wood oak opening on its own accord, allowing them to pass through before closing with a loud thunk. And just like that, they were alone, with nothing but the echo of Noah's protests ringing throughout the empty hall.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Second last chapter! Not sure if many people are still reading this, or if the concept is just too werid to hold on to most of you, but if you are still enjoying it, thanks!

.-.

Puck was seriously tired of all this magic bullshit. He'd been tossed around like a little bitch and he was fucking sick of it. He hated the feeling of powerlessness, he hated watching Rachel as she squirmed for her life (or rather for the lives of others), and worst of all, he hated that he couldn't do anything about it.

The rush of wind whistled past his ears as they all cascaded down the side of a mountain. A fucking mountain! He watched in horror as the castle disappeared from view, seemingly vanishing into thin air as he willed himself to stop falling; but try as he might, he couldn't do anything to stop their descent. His throat felt hoarse from all the shouting. It was funny that after being magically gagged for the past however long, his voice still felt like it had strained every muscle.

They all landed in a heap at what he assumed was the base of the mountain. He immediately scrambled to his feet, searching desperately for the castle, trying to figure out which direction he needed to go. A figure came up beside him and Puck instinctively jumped away, turning defensively to face whoever it was.

"Whoa, man," this mysterious Finn guy said, holding his hands up.

"And who the fuck are you?" Puck bit out accusingly. He felt weary and exhausted, but that was no excuse for this new guy to come and mess with him.

"Look, man, it's okay," he said calmly, trying to show Puck that he was no threat. "I just wanted to check that you were okay."

"Yeah?" Puck asked incredulously. _Was this fucker for real?_ He looked past the giant's shoulder to try and see where the Unholy Trinity had gone, but to Puck's shock, they too had disappeared. "And why do you care?"

"Because you're a human who got messed up in business that you had no business being messed up in." He replied, nodding his head like it was the simplest explanation there was.

It wasn't.

"I don't have time for this shit," Puck muttered, turning around to start his climb up the treacherous mountain.

"Where are you going?" Finn called after him, but when Puck didn't answer, he quickly caught up to him and placed a hand on Puck's shoulder. "Look, stop!" he commanded when Puck tried to shrug him off. "Where are you going?" he asked again more insistently.

"Where the hell does it look like I'm going? I'm going to get Rachel," he retorted, rolling his eyes.

"You shouldn't," Finn said, his hand reaching out to stop Puck once again.

"Yeah?" Puck challenged. "And why the fuck not? Who are _you_ to turn up like you fucking know what's best and start bossing everyone around?"

"Like I said," Finn shot back with just as much anger. "This isn't your business! Rachel should never have dragged you into this!"

Puck scoffed and shook his head before turning to continue on his journey, not caring what this guy said.

"This isn't the business of mortals!" Finn shouted after him. "You're just gonna get in the way!" But Puck continued to ignore him.

It wasn't until Finn shouted out his last words that caused him to pause. "What the hell do you care, anyway? You're just like the rest of the world. All you want is for her to grant your wish!"

He turned and glared at Finn. "What the fuck do you know?" he growled. "You don't know anything about me and Rachel!"

"I know that you only agreed to help her because she offered to grant any wish of your choosing." Puck's eyes narrowed, shaking his head. "And I know that if she stays here on earth, she will die. People will always come after her; she's a star. It's only been three days since she arrived and look at what she's had to endure. Do you think you can survive running for the rest of your life?"

"I don't care." Puck bit out through gritted teeth. "I won't leave her there," he said, a tone of finality in his voice, but the stupid punk didn't seem to get the hint.

"And you'll kill her if she grants your wish!" Finn called out after him, trying desperately to persuade him of the hopelessness of it all. "So either way, if she stays with you, she'll die. Do you really want that for her?"

Puck stopped again, pausing in his tracks. "If she wants to leave, then I'll let her, but I'm not gonna force her do to something she doesn't want to do. I'm not some douchebag who thinks he can waltz in and order her around. It was her choice to come here, it'll be her choice if she wants to go back. And not you or anybody else can say otherwise!"

.-.

Sue smiled down at Rachel, her body bound to the apothecary table by magical gold shackles seemingly sprung out from nowhere.

"You know, Rachel," she taunted happily. "You've really made this easier for me. I was going to have to wait for weeks until you regained your full strength. Weeks of torturing you. Of torturing your friend. But now..."

Rachel's eyes shifted around in fear as she watched Sue out of the corner of her eye. She moved away from the table to pick up her ever faithful dagger, fingering the tip with a delighted smile.

"I'll be back to my full strength in no time. And do you know the first thing I'm going to do once I cut out your heart?" she asked rhetorically, holding the dagger out to pass the blade through an open flame. She returned back to Rachel's side, watching her horror-filled eyes as she leant down to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to kill everyone, starting with your pathetic little friend."

She cackled gleefully as Rachel began struggling helplessly against her shackles, delighting in the terrified look on her victim's face as she raised the red, hot blade above her chest.

.-.

Finn stared after the stubborn boy as he stormed off up the mountain. Nothing he said or did could persuade him to walk away. He both admired and cursed the foolish boy for his courage.

"Don't be so dramatic." A voice barked from behind him, and Finn turned to see Quinn and her followers walking out of the shadows.

Finn sighed. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to help us?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"And why would I do that?" Quinn asked, arching her eyebrow. "I spent half a century waiting to escape that castle."

"Because that idiot boy there will die and because the idiot girl up there gave up everything so she could free us, free you."

Quinn snarled viciously. "The Queen set us free because she owed us. We made a deal. We earned it."

It was Finn's turn to arch his eyebrow questioningly. "Really? Are you sure about that? Because from what I heard, Sue wasn't so willing to grant you freedom _before_ Rachel pleaded with her."

Quinn looked away, her eyes steaming, hands clenched tightly by her side.

"And what do you care?" she shot back angrily. "Shouldn't you be running away about now? That's what you're good at."

Finn's harsh gaze softened as he slowly walked towards her. "Quinn..."

She recoiled at the sound of her name being uttered from his lips. "Don't..." she warned, shooting him another threatening glare. "Don't."

"Quinn..." he persisted.

She shut her eyes tightly together before screaming at him to stop, the force of her anger causing him to stagger slightly.

"Five hundred years, Finn, and you did _nothing,_" she said accusingly, tears prickling her eyes. "You did nothing but stay up there and watch."

"Is that what you think?" he asked incredulously. "You think I abandoned you?"

"Didn't you?" Quinn shot back bitterly.

"Quinn…" Finn began, shaking his head as he took a tentative step forward, but she instantly backed away. He sighed. "Did you ever stop to think why you were invincible?" he asked gently. "Why no matter what Sue did to you, no matter how hard she tried, you couldn't be killed?"

Quinn looked away refusing to meet his gaze.

"'For he who has the heart of a star...'" he muttered softly. "It works the other way too."

"I don't believe you," she bit out. "Britt and Santana..."

"Were bound to you by the curse. Your fate became their fate. As long as those hand-cuffs linked you together, none of you could be truly harmed. Not even by the Queen." Once again, Finn tried to approach her, but again she backed away, unwilling to let him get near her. He sighed and whispered softly, his words almost lost on the wind. "Just because I wasn't here doesn't mean my heart wasn't with you."

Quinn shook her head in disbelief, and without another sound, the Unholy Trinity disappeared in nothing more than a bright red blur.

.-.

Quinn fought the tears from streaming down her face, running from everything she had always wanted to run away from. No matter what Finn claimed, she didn't – couldn't – believe him. She ran as fast as she could, as far away as she could, grateful that both Brittany and Santana remained silent as they ran.

She wiped away the stubborn tears, trying desperately to keep them from falling, but no matter what she did, they still overcame her. She was just about to put on another burst of speed when suddenly a white blur appeared in front of them.

They each came to a screeching halt, digging their heels in as they took in the pearly white unicorn before them.

"Not now, Kurt!" she yelled at the intruder, turning away from everyone.

When she had finally managed to compose herself, Quinn turned around again, only to watch Brittany approaching the unicorn with a look of awe on her face. Her head turned to smile at both Santana and Quinn.

Quinn stared incredulously as Brittany silently pleaded with them both, and was stunned when Santana just gave her an adoring shrug. Brittany's smile widened, and in an instant, a bright light over took her, and the next thing she knew, Brittany had turned herself into a unicorn, her gleaming pelt shining brightly, exactly like Kurt's.

Quinn crossed her arms across her chest and cursed, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it all. "Oh, for heaven's sake!"

.-.

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for death. She felt a sharp pain above her heart as Sue sliced along her skin, and she whimpered. Sue laughed again as she removed the knife and set it on the table.

Cracking her eyes open slightly, she was shocked to see Sue walking away from the table. She strained her neck to look down at her chest. She saw a large pentagram cut into her skin, the wound already starting to bleed.

Sue approached again, this time wielding nothing more than a candle.

"What?" Rachel asked, confused.

An evil smile spread across Sue's face.

"That's the thing about legends, my dear star," she said calmly as the candle's flame sprang to life on its accord, flickering merrily. "When you're the one who writes them, you can say whatever you want." Sue laughed again, a merciless cackle that made Rachel sick. "Nobody actuallyknows that cutting the heart out will render it useless." Her face darkened before she continued. "It stops people from stealing what is rightfully mine. Now lie still."

Sue closed her eyes, facing her hands downwards and holding them right above Rachel's heart. She began chanting lowly, her hands releasing the candle that continued to float in place, while her hands remained hovering over Rachel's body.

Once again, Rachel prepared herself for whatever was going to happen. If she was to face death, then she would face it calmly, despite the hysterical screaming resounding throughout her head. She was sure the Queen would only take even more pleasure from her fear.

Sue's chanting got steadily louder and louder as the entire room began vibrating violently around, the windows bursting open as a gust of wind rushed inside. She wore a triumphant smile, skewing her ugly features. Rachel couldn't bear to watch any longer. She closed her eyes again, steeling herself for death.

Suddenly, the room stopped shaking, the windows slammed shut once more and Rachel felt the candle flop down onto her chest, landing with a soft _thup._

Once again, Rachel peeked out from her closed eyes, wondering what was supposed to happen now. To her surprise, Sue seemed as dumbfounded as she was.

"What?" she asked angrily, shaking her hands out roughly as she opened and closed her fists. Rachel watched as Sue's eyes closed again and she repeated the chant, faster this time, with each event happening as if time had sped up.

When nothing happened yet again, Sue yelled in frustration, knocking over a shelf full of magical potions, its resounding crash echoing loudly around them as the bottles shattered against the hard stone floor.

"I don't understand!" she screamed violently. She turned to point an accusing finger at Rachel. "What did you do?

Rachel shook her head quickly, as she stammered out, "I-I-I didn't do anything."

"No, it has to be your fault." Sue disagreed impatiently. "Tell me what you did!"

"I didn't do anything!" Rachel protested again. "I didn't resist anything. I pledged my heart to you..."

"... except..." Sue's beady eyes roamed over Rachel's prone body, wracking her brain for the answer. When her eyes glinted madly, on the verge insanity, Rachel knew something was wrong. Very, very wrong. "Except your heart doesn't belong to you!" Sue howled in anger.

She turned around and shot spell after spell at the wall of animal cages, causing them to come crashing to the ground. The animals that survived the fall made a mad dash for the exit, for gaps in the wall, for anything, but Sue's fury shot them dead, each squealing as they keeled over and died.

She laughed humorlessly. "You foolish star. You fell in love. You stupid, stupid girl!" she yelled indignantly.

"I-I-I..." Rachel shook her head. _No, _she hadn't. She couldn't have. She had only known Noah for three days. That was too short a time to... to...

"Your heart is _useless!_" The Queen screamed, this time overturning the table Rachel was still shackled to. Suddenly, her binds disappeared and Rachel scrambled to her feet. "This is all your fault!" she screamed again.

Rachel ran around the room as Sue shot jolts of electricity towards her, barely managing to duck each blow.

"Stop!" she demanded angrily, shooting another bolt towards Rachel, this time managing to strike her, and Rachel fell to the ground, jerking furiously. Sue walked over to hover above her. She stretched out her arm and the crooked dagger shot straight into her grasp, an insane glint in her eye. "If I can't have your heart, then no one will!" she growled.

Rachel watched helplessly as Sue lunged towards her, the knife glinting in the candle light. Her mind screamed out for her to move, but she couldn't. Aside from the occasional twitch, her entire body felt limp as the energy passed through her. Suddenly a loud crash resounded in the air as something flew in through the window, knocking Sue to the ground.

Rachel blinked slowly as she took in the figure riding a unicorn.

_Noah? Kurt?_ She asked herself.

As the blurry picture came into focus, she realized it was in fact Noah, but he wasn't perched upon Kurt; instead, he was riding Brittany. _Brittany? _

He was clinging wildly to her long, pale, blonde mane shining in the candle light, and yet his face held a look of horror as they moved, as if he feared he was going to fall at any moment. As soon as Brittany landed gracefully on the floor, he leapt off the unicorn eagerly and rushed towards her.

She was confused. Or maybe dead. Probably both.

The next thing she knew, Noah was at her side as Finn, Quinn and Santana all rushed in, leaping on top of Sue and trying to subdue her.

"Rachel?" Noah asked, his face lined with worry. "Are you okay?"

She nodded numbly, trying to sit up. His arms reached up to guide her, and she was hit by a sudden wave of emotion; emotions that had grown very familiar over the past few days. _She was right. _

"Huh?" Noah asked, "Who was right?"

Rachel blinked at him, realizing she must have spoken out loud. "Oh..." But she was saved the embarrassment of explaining when Sue threw a pulse of energy, from her position on the floor. Her attackers all flew backwards and upwards, hitting the ceiling.

"Enough!" she cried, pinning her captives there and out of the way. She looked wildly at Rachel. "I've had enough!" Then her gaze shifted to Noah as he stood protectively over her. "You!" Sue spat out.

Rachel clutched at Noah's shirt, begging, wishing, praying for him to disappear.

"Noah!" She said weakly. "Run!"

But it was too late.

Sue's hand reached out and summoned Noah towards her. He floated through the air as her hand wrapped around his throat. For the third time in two days, Rachel watched in horror as an enemy hand strangled Noah, pressing down harshly on his windpipe as he struggled to breathe.

"You, boy, are the reason this has happened." Sue bit out, her eyes red with fury.

Noah's legs kicked wildly, his face turning red as he pawed at the Queen's hands.

Sue laughed, the sound hollow, causing chills to run up Rachel's spine.

"No! Stop!" Rachel sobbed. She clambered to her feet, but was instantly thrown backwards again.

"This is the _pathetic_ reason why I have failed?" She asked incredulously. She looked Noah directly in the eye, his expression confused as his fighting became sluggish. "You, boy, deserve to die."

Rachel scrambled to her feet again, and ran forward screaming as Sue's hand jerked abruptly, the loud snap of his neck filling the room, mixing with Rachel's loud piercing scream.


	14. Chapter 14

"Noah!" Rachel cried in horror as his body fell limp. She rushed forward, trying desperately to get to his side as Sue unceremoniously threw him aside, his dead body falling with a dull thud. Sue raised her hand again, stopping Rachel in her tracks with an invisible force.

Rachel's disbelief soon turned to rage as her gaze switched to the laughing witch.

"You bitch!" she swore, her body shaking violently. "You nasty, old bitch!"

Sue seemed unfazed with Rachel's anger until suddenly, Rachel's entire body began glowing. It wasn't the bright luminescent glowing she had experienced when she was happy or shy. It was a brilliant fiery orange, vibrating throughout her every pore.

She watched at Sue struggled to contain her, her expression turning from mirth to fear.

"What?" she asked in shock as she lost control.

At that moment, a ray of light shot out from Rachel's body and headed straight for Sue. She tried in vain to wave the blow away, to deflect it, but it was no use. It simply changed course and headed straight for Sue once more.

The bolt hit her square in the chest. At first everyone remained silent as they watched the orange light pass into Sue's body. After a few moments when nothing happened, the witch smiled in relief.

"Path–" she began, believing the worst was over when suddenly her body jerked. She howled in pain as her chest began glowing, the light spreading outwards to her skin as it started to singe, almost as if she was burning from the inside. The Queen ran around helplessly, and her captives all fell to the floor, releasing them from her hold.

Rachel watched emotionlessly as Sue's body curled over, her loud screams still piercing the air until all that was left was a pile of ashes and the echo of Sue's pain ringing throughout the large hall. Finally, Rachel slumped to the ground, the bright orange light encasing her slowly fading away.

Finn came over to her and laid a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Rachel?" he asked tentatively, helping her to her feet. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes before she slowly walked over to Noah's fallen form and knelt down beside him.

This was all her fault.

Her hand haltingly reached out to touch him, gently guiding him to roll over so she could see his face. The sight of him lying there, motionless, caused her to collapse over his body, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh my gosh, Noah..." she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

His body still felt warm as she hugged him to her desperately, only causing her freely flowing tears to intensify. Her body trembled as she cradled his head in her lap.

"I'm so, so sorry." She whispered to him. She closed her eyes and pressed her face next to his, savoring what little warmth he had left.

Unbeknownst to her, his eyes began to twitch, his wounds healing as his body renewed itself. He groaned loudly and he murmured something low under his breath as he tried to move and Rachel gasped in shock.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"I thought of the perfect name." He repeated softly, his eyes still closed. Rachel watched as his eyes fluttered open, and she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Rachel Barbra Berry," he said, a small smile on his lips. "For your love of berries. Rachel Barbra Berry. Now that's the name of a star."

Fresh tears streamed down her face as she cried out in joy and relief, pressing her lips against his in a wildly passionate kiss, never more happy to see that infuriating smirk grace his lips.

.-.

Puck's hand moved up to tangle in Rachel's hair as she clung to him, their mouths locked together in a fierce kiss. They only pulled away when oxygen became an issue, and he smiled up at her, slightly dumbfounded.

"Now a guy could get used to being woken up like that," he said teasingly, but when he noticed her tears, his expression turned soft with concern. "Hey..."

Her hand covered her face and she shook her head, refusing to let him see her tears. He struggled to sit up and placed his arms around her shaking form.

His concerned expression moved upwards to see five shocked people standing around them. His gaze moved to Finn's as he asked, "What happened to the witch?"

"Rachel killed her," Finn said in stunned amazement, pointing to a pile of ashes.

"Woah," Puck replied glancing at the Queen's remains. "Is that true, baby?" Rachel nodded, her hands still covering her face. He reached out and took her by the wrists, gently pulling her hands away.

She looked at the ground as if she didn't dare meet his eyes, afraid that he'd disappear. His hand moved to her chin, tilting her face towards his.

"I thought I'd lost you." She murmured softly, and Puck smiled back at her.

"Nah, takes more than that to kill the Puckerone." She blinked at him blankly for a moment before her face crumpled once more, this time laughing so hard that tears sprung to her eyes. His smile widened as he listened to her laughter. "Now, that's better," he said.

"Oh, I get it," an unfamiliar voice remarked dryly from above them, causing them both to look up in confusion. They all turned towards the source of the voice, finding a rather scrawny looking boy clad in white standing beside them.

Finn looked confused for a moment before he smiled widely, walking forward to embrace the stranger in a brotherly hug.

"Uh, can someone please tell us what's going on?" Santana asked, clearly irritated.

Rachel beamed, too, getting to her feet before assisting Puck.

"I would have thought that that was obvious." She replied, but Puck looked at her with an equally confused glance.

She opened her mouth to explain when the front door burst open. They all turned defensively, each getting ready for another attack, but instead, Blaine strode through the door with a large satchel in his hands.

"I've got it!" he announced as he walked over. "It took me longer than I wanted, but I..." He looked around at the group and stopped in his tracks as his eyes landed on the unknown boy, his voice trailing off. He gulped as his satchel dropped to the floor and he walked over to the other boy. Shakily, his hand reached out to touch his face as though he thought it was some kind of mirage. "Kurt?" he asked tentatively.

Except for the two stars, the rest of the group's eyes widened at yet another unexpected turn of events. The boy smiled and nodded, leaning into Blaine's touch as they looked at each other adoringly.

Brittany was the first to voice her confusion. "I don't get it," she announced, glancing from face to face.

Rachel smiled again and explained. "Sue cursed Kurt over a millennium ago. She had sought him out after learning about his gift. When he delivered the unpleasant news that she would never be able to achieve her dream of immortality, she cursed him. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't truly curse something that consisted of such pure energy, so he transformed into a unicorn, encasing him in a protected shell until her spell could be broken."

"Oh..." Brittany said, nodding in understanding, before her expression turned confused again. "But what about...?" she asked gesturing to Puck.

Kurt's gaze finally left Blaine's and moved to Brittany. "I can explain that one," he announced, smiling at Puck and Rachel. "'He who has the heart of a star,'" he began, his gaze shifting to Quinn and Finn, "'shall live forever.'"

Puck nervously turned to Rachel as she smiled up at him. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

She bit her lip, equally as nervous, and nodded. A large smile grew across his face as his arms moved to wrap themselves around her.

"Except..." Finn's voice interjected, and Rachel's body tensed in Puck's arms. They both turned slowly to face the interruption. "She can't stay here."

Rachel shook her head vigorously. "I'm not leaving, Finn."

"But Rachel..."

"No," she stated forcefully. "I refuse to. I didn't come all this way and risk so much just to walk away. I'm not like you, Finn." Her gaze shifted awkwardly to Quinn, as the blonde looked away. "But maybe someone else can go with you instead," she suggested, all the wrongs that had been committed in the past few days already forgotten.

Rachel knew they each had their reasons for doing what they did, and now that the Queen was dead, she firmly believed in a new beginning; a new direction, for all of them. And it started today.

Quinn shook her head, her arms wrapped around herself. "No," she said before walking away.

Finn started after her, but Rachel stopped him. "Let me," she said gently, as she and the girls trailed after her, leaving the boys standing there.

.-.

Blaine knew he should be paying attention to what was happening around him, but he found that he didn't care. All he cared about was the porcelain faced boy finally standing in front of him. His hand still cupped Kurt's cheek, almost as if he was afraid to let go, afraid that he'd disappear. They had known each other for so long, had been friends since before he could remember, and now there he was, just standing there.

Blaine continued to stare, wanting to memorize every curve of Kurt's face, every look and every smile.

"Is it really you?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes still wide with disbelief.

Kurt offered a soft, gentle smile and nodded. "It's me," Kurt's hand moved to hold Blaine's, and Blaine found himself closing his eyes at the touch, savoring the feeling.

"I… I…" he began, at a loss for words. "I always…"

"I know," Kurt said softly, already understanding what he was trying to say. "I did, too."

Blaine smiled and opened his eyes, staring deeply into Kurt's blue ones. "Did you know?" he asked softly. "Did you know that this would happen?"

Kurt nodded. "I hoped, but as you know, the future is unpredictable; even I can't say with absolute certainty what will happen. I just hoped. I just wished."

Blaine could feel the tears stinging his eyes, unable to look away. "Me too. This was my dream," he said softly. "You were my dream. I just never believed it would ever come true."

"Well, you better believe it, Blaine," Kurt joked kindly. "Because I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going to say goodbye to you."

.-.

Rachel followed Quinn and the other girls out of the castle, calling after them. At first she didn't think they'd stop; they really had no reason to. They weren't friends. True, they weren't really enemies anymore, but they still had no reason to listen to her.

"Quinn…" Rachel began kindly, staring at the defiant blonde. Santana and Brittany stood to the side, staring at the pair and waiting for any indication from their leader as to what they should do.

"What do you want?" Quinn bit out harshly, though Rachel felt like her threatening tone fell flat.

"You don't have to leave." Rachel began, as her eyes searched Quinn's imploringly. "He cares about you, he always has."

"What do you know?" Quinn interrupted angrily. "You know nothing."

"That's not true," Rachel replied softly. "I know you're feeling angry and hurt, and even a little lost, but I also know that you love him. Even after all these years, you still love him."

Quinn scoffed and finally looked Rachel in the eye. "No, I don't. I'm not like you. I can't forgive someone at the drop of a hat. Too much has happened for me to just let it all go." The blonde sighed as she glanced to her friends. "We… I… I need a fresh start. I don't know what's going to happen, but all I know is I can't go back in there, and I can't forget that he left me."

Without another word, the blonde turned, the pleats of her short cheerleading skirt swishing around as they swished back and forth, and in a blink the trio was gone, disappearing in a mysterious red blur.

.-.

Puck watched as Rachel followed the Trinity out. He didn't understand how she could forgive them so easily. They had tried to kill her for fuck's sake; well, at least put her in a position to be killed. He didn't trust them, even with the "Queen" gone.

He met Finn's sympathetic gaze and Finn nodded in understanding. "I get it, man," Finn said, kind of awkwardly. "I really do. You care about each other, just like I care about Quinn. But as good as it is today, she'll eventually miss the skies, and when she does, she'll regret leaving; she'll regret staying here and giving up her wish."

Puck shook his head. "Well, I don't get it, man. How the hell are you supposed to get back anyway?"

Finn looked at Blaine as he shifted uncomfortably at the sudden attention. "Blaine can send us back."

"Okay..." Puck said slowly. "So if Blaine can send her back, then what's the difference if she does it a little later."

Finn shook his head. "You still don't understand. Do you know how much energy she has used during her time on earth, at this rate, she'll have nothing left in her. And if she grants you your wish?" Finn asked rhetorically. "She'll have nothing left at all. She'll become human. She won't be _allowed_ to come back."

At that moment, Rachel walked back into the room – alone. Puck couldn't help but notice the dejected look on her face. He wondered if that would be how she looked if she ever realized what a mistake it would be to remain here on earth. To remain here with him.

This world was harsh, and sometimes cruel. There was no guarantee that all her dreams would come true, and as much as he wanted her to stay, he didn't think she could bear it if they never did. And truthfully, neither could he. Not if _that_ look was the result.

"I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel said, shaking her head sadly. "She said she just can't. Too much has happened, and she can't simply forget that the past five hundred years happened. She needs to start anew. And she needs to do it without you."

Finn nodded, but Puck could tell by the heavy sigh that the realization hit Finn harder than he expected. "It's okay, Rachel, I get it. I didn't really expect her to stay, anyway," he turned to Blaine and asked, "Is the spell ready?"

Blaine and Kurt finally broke apart as the former turned to them and nodded. "Yeah, it's ready. It's not a Babylon candle, but it'll do the trick..."

They all laughed as Puck looked at them all, lost in the conversation. "What's... wait... never-mind." He said, resigned. His head was already filled with so many thoughts; he didn't need to add anything else to the mix.

Blaine turned to Rachel, his eyes soft and asked, "Are you ready, Rachel?" Everyone's gaze quickly turned to Rachel, who stumbled backwards, shaking her head frantically.

"Blaine, I _can't_," she whispered desperately, her widened eyes drifting over to Puck. His throat grew heavier, and this is when he realized: this was it. This was the moment that he had been dreading; the moment when Rachel made her final decision – to give up her dreams of earthly stardom and return to the celestial ones above, or to remain on earth with him and continue pursuing an uncertain dream that may never come.

"If you don't come back with me, you can never come back," Finn reminded her. He reached his hand out to her. "Come home, Rachel," he begged.

Puck's eyes met Rachel's moist ones, and he felt his heart tighten at the thought of finding her, only to lose her soon afterward. A moment, a minute, a mere lifetime could have passed while they stared at one another helplessly before Rachel finally broke his gaze. Puck closed his eyes and hoped; it was all that he had left.

Beyond his shuttered lids, Rachel nodded and stepped forward, making her choice.

.-.

_A year later._

Puck watched proudly from backstage as the name, "_Rachel Barbra Berry,_" sounded from the loud speakers. A fresh wave of applause and cheering rang out as Rachel took center stage and curtsied. She had blown them away, just like he knew she would.

He peaked out from behind the curtain and saw their friends, Blaine and Kurt, sitting there in the audience. Even his mom, nana and sister were sitting a few rows back, cheering his girlfriend on.

His mom had chucked a fit, when he finally got around to calling her back, but she had relented when he brought Rachel home wearing a silver Star of David around her neck. They didn't know anything about her_ true_ origins, and probably never would, but Puck was okay with his mom thinking Rachel was a hot Jew.

He smiled to himself as he thought about how much had changed since that fateful night a year ago. And now Rachel had achieved everything that she had dreamed of, and he was just glad to have been a part of it.

He watched as Rachel ran towards him, squealing in delight as she jumped into his arms. He laughed as he twirled her around.

"You're a star, Rachel!" he exclaimed, laughing more when the blush rose up her cheeks. He groaned inwardly. She always looked so hot when she acted shy. Well, she looked hot no matter what, but seeing her blush reminded him of when they'd first met and it always made his heart leap in his chest.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you!" she said hugging him closer. "I feel like this is a dream, Noah." She whispered, reaching up to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "It's all just so much! Has this really happened?"

"You bet it has, baby!" he reassured her. "And all that applause is just for you."

She pressed her face against his chest and sighed contently, before lifting her head to look him in the eye. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

He smiled down at her, his finger travelling down the side of her cheek. "It was well worth it, baby."

She laughed, pushing him away. "Okay, I have to get this gross make up off of my face. I'll meet you after I change."

Puck nodded. "I'll be waiting." He replied with a wink.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she gave him one more quick kiss before she headed towards the changing room, unable to contain her laughter.

.-.

Rachel smiled at her reflection as she took a seat in _her_ special actress' chair in _her_ changing room. She loved being the star. She had waited her entire life for this moment, to experience the deafening applause of a sold-out crowd that were cheering just for her.

And yet, as she removed her makeup from her smiling face, she found her mind drifting to the sweet kisses she shared with Noah every day. She blushed as she recalled the very different feelings he inspired with in her. Just knowing that he was outside waiting for her made her heart pound frantically. It was as if it was using her chest as its own trapeze swing, flapping about happily.

She was just combing out her long, brunette hair when a voice sounded from the shadows in her solitary changing room.

"Hello, Rachel."

She turned quickly in surprise to see someone she least expected. Rachel smiled apprehensively as Quinn emerged, approaching slowly. She hadn't seen her since that night one year ago, and frankly, she never expected to see her again. Yet, here she was in a light green dress complimented by a dark green sweater, her blonde locks cascading around her pretty face.

"Quinn…" she began in a hesitant tone. Her eyes darted towards the door, quickly eyeing her only escape route. Quinn seemed to notice her apprehension and smiled softly at Rachel.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you," she assured Rachel, her hands held out in surrender.

"Then what are you doing here?" Rachel asked. Her tone wasn't angry or accusatory, she was just genuinely confused. The last she saw of Quinn was as a red blur speeding away from Sue's fortress. She couldn't think of why Quinn would turn up here at all, let alone cornering her in her dressing room.

"We came to see you perform," Quinn said with a shrug. "We wanted to see you."

Rachel arched her eyebrow disbelievingly, which caused Quinn to roll her eyes.

"Brittany wanted to see you. She's been following your career excitedly. Out of all of us, she's probably the one who's taken the most to 21st century living."

"Really?" Rachel asked half-surprised, half-proud.

"Really," Quinn replied.

"That's nice," Rachel said sincerely. "I'm glad. Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah, you were amazing," Quinn replied genuinely. She wore a look on her face, as if there was more she wanted to say, but remained silent.

Rachel shifted uncertainly, feeling uncomfortable in the quiet room. Instinctively, she opened her mouth to begin rapidly talking about the show and gush about every that had happened, but Quinn chose that moment to speak.

"Look, Rachel," Quinn said quickly, looking equally uncomfortable. "I just wanted to say sorry for what happened." She sighed as she met Rachel's gaze. "We – I have done so many horrible things over the centuries, and most of them I'll never be able to make up for, but this, you… well, at least I can apologize to your face and ask for your forgiveness."

Rachel smiled at her gently and nodded. "Of course, I accept," she replied easily. "I forgave you a year ago. I was a witness to how much you suffered after Finn… after you let him go."

Quinn eyes dropped to the floor, turning away. "Yeah…" she said softly, her voice trailing off sadly.

"You know, he –" Rachel began, but the blonde cut her off.

"I know… I still… I can't die," she replied. Rachel watched her with surprised. "We tried. If Santana and Brittany hurt themselves – nothing extreme, we just pricked our fingers – their wounds take longer to heal, while mine heal instantly."

"Oh…" Rachel said, tilting her head to the side, intrigued.

"I don't mind though," the blonde continued, smiling weakly. "It lets me know that he's still watching over me."

Looking at Quinn's sad smile, Rachel felt a twinge of sorrow for the witch. Despite all that happened, she was just a girl who fell in love with a guy and risked everything for that love. Rachel just didn't understand why Quinn wouldn't go back to him.

"You know it's not too late, you could go join him," Rachel said quickly, her voice filled with hope and excitement. "Blaine was in the audience tonight, he could –"

But Quinn shook her head. "I can't. Part of me wants to, I do… I do… love him." She swallowed thickly as she said the last two words, as if she hadn't let herself even think them, let alone say them, in the past year. "But, I just can't. I can't forget what it felt like for all those years, like he didn't care…"

"Can't you try? I know there's a lot of pain there, but he genuinely does care for you," Rachel insisted, but Quinn was just as stubborn as she was. "I know he misses you. He's… "

"No," Quinn interrupted firmly, shaking her head. "Maybe someday, but not yet, I'm not ready."

Rachel watched sadly as Quinn trailed off. She understood Quinn's reasons. Even though they had spent centuries apart, so much had happened between them that it seemed like they would never be able to move past it, and yet… Rachel really hoped that they'd both be able to find peace.

And who knows, like Quinn said, _maybe someday…_

.-.

Puck hung around backstage for a while as he watched the people come and go, when he suddenly heard a loud cough behind him. He turned to see two people he never expected to see standing there.

"Hi," a blonde guy greeted him. "I'm Sam Evans, and this is my partner Mercedes Jones." He said indicating towards the curvaceous African-American woman standing beside him.

Puck nodded at them, slightly taken aback. He never expected to see one of the most sought after rising stars of rock 'n roll industry standing in front of him. "Noah Puckerman," he greeted them before shaking their hands, trying to act cool.

"We understand you represent Rachel Berry?" Mercedes said, with a smile.

Once again, Puck nodded, smiling as he thought about her.

"Well, Sam and I are actually seeking new representation, and we heard what a great job you've done with Rachel in such a short time. We were wondering if you'd like to get together some time and discuss options."

Puck's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that. He has assumed they just wanted to set up a meet and greet with Rachel or something. The thought that they were actually looking for him hadn't even crossed his mind."

"Oh yeah, of course," he replied, quickly getting over his disbelief. "I'd be more than happy too."

Sam and Mercedes smiled at him, and Sam pulled out a card. "Well, here's our info; feel free to call our assistant, Phyllis, to set up an appointment."

Puck must have stared in wonder at the card for at least five minutes before he snapped out of his stupor. While it was true he "represented" Rachel, he never really thought about it as a job. He just thought he was helping out his girl. Evidently others thought otherwise, and he kind of liked the idea of doing this for a living.

He smiled again, checking his watch before realizing he was late. Quickly, he ran up the theater's back stairs, which led up to the roof. He walked out to find Rachel already there waiting for him.

They had begun meeting here when she first came for the workshop; it was their tiny escape from the rest of the world.

He approached her slowly, watching as she simply stared upwards into the dark sky and watched the stars.

"Do you ever miss it?" he asked, gulping nervously.

Rachel turned her head to look at him, a relaxed smile forming on her lips as she shook her head. "No."

He felt himself release a nervous breath, one he didn't even realizing he was holding. She then turned to face him completely, her hands intertwining with his. "Noah, did I ever tell you why I decided to come here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, you wanted to be a Broadway star."

She smiled again and shook her head slowly. "While yes, that was technically the reason, but there was more to it than that." She looked up at the sky again, and spoke sadly, "Being a star up there is not what you'd think. I used to watch the world down here and marvel at the adoring fans of Broadway stars. I used to think that was exactly what I wanted. When people look up at Broadway stars, they see everything, but when people look up at the night sky, their eyes pass over us, seeing but unseeing."

She sighed. "That life, is – was – incredibly lonely. And life for a star is long, almost eternal. I just couldn't face an eternity of loneliness anymore. I saw my chance to live my dream, and I took it."

Puck nodded his understanding, his mouth twisting up into a relieved smile. "I'm glad you did."

"And, now Noah," she said with a deep breath. "It's time for me to grant your dream, just like I promised."

His eyes widened unexpectedly and inhaled deeply. He had often thought about what would happen if this day ever came. He knew Rachel, and she was never one to go back on her word. It was one of the things he adored about her. He imagined the life he wanted, the life he needed.

"My wish?" he asked, slowly exhaling. "I wish for you to be safe." He began, watching her head tilt in confusion. "I wish for you to be human, to live the life you've always dreamed, and should you someday want to return to your former life, for you to be able to. That is my wish."

"Noah," she started, but at that moment she glowed brightly and felt her powers leave her, until she was just a girl, standing there with her boyfriend. "What did you do?" she demanded, bewildered. "You wasted your wish."

"No, I didn't." Puck replied shaking his head. "Truth is," he began to explain, "I've already gotten my wish. I wished for you."

It was Rachel's turn to shake her head in bemusement. "No, you didn't..."

"Yes, I did." He replied firmly. "I wished for something, anything to happen, to make me feel like I was somebody. And you did that for me." He smiled at her and took a deep breath. "Rachel, I love you."

A slow smile grew across her face as she asked softly, "You love me?" She squealed with delight when he nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you, too," she whispered, almost as if she feared someone was listening. Her face inched closer to his when, suddenly, her hands began to heat up unexpectedly, causing them to them spring apart in surprise.

She brought her hands to her front and they both stared at her open palms as they shone brightly. The light began to fade, revealing a candle in its place.

Rachel stared at it awed, turning in over to examine it more closely. "It's a Babylon candle," she said, smiling fondly at it.

"A babbling what?" Puck asked, clearly confused.

Rachel laughed. "A _Babylon_ candle." She repeated. "When you light the wick, you can think of any place in the universe and it will take you there instantly. It's my passage back if I ever should want it."

His eyes widened in understanding, but his tone remained indifferent. "Wow, cool," he remarked with a forced air of casualness.

She shook her head at his feigned nonchalance before carelessly dropping the candle on the ground and wrapping her hands back around his neck. "I know I'm exactly where I want to be," she smiled in response, pulling Puck's head down to meet her in a firm kiss. He smiled against her lips, readily accepting her lips upon his as he wrapped her up in his arms. Locked in each other's embrace, they spared not a moment's thought over the bright, twinkling lights above, eternally locked in the slow dance of infinite stars.

.-.

**A/N: **So that's it. I hope you all enjoyed it! I just wanted to say a final thank you to my awesome betas **dreamlesssleep** and **joyasaurus_rex**! I have had a very much love/hate relationship with this fic while I was writing it, and I don't think I would have made it without their wonderful help.

Thanks for reading! :)


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